System and method for managing content delivery and measuring engagement

ABSTRACT

A system, method and apparatus are provided to combine a casino or lottery player club with a system that provides a unified platform and middleware for the production, delivery, management and measurement of consumer engagement across multiple delivery mechanisms, networks, applications, platforms and marketing channels. The gambling establishment is thereby able to gather valuable player engagement data, build player profiles, and determine how to most effectively cost effectively reach, entertain and influence the behavior of their most valuable consumers.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of, and claims priority under35 U.S.C. §120 to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/345,289, entitled“SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COLLECTING AND USING PLAYER INFORMATION,” filedon Dec. 29, 2008, which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119(e) to U.S.Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/016,801, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHODFOR COLLECTING AND USING PLAYER INFORMATION,” by Mark Herrmann et al.,filed Dec. 26, 2007, each of which applications are incorporated hereinby reference in their entirety. This application is also acontinuation-in-part of, and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §120 toU.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/238,849 entitled “METHOD ANDAPPARATUS FOR PROVIDING PLAYER INCENTIVES,” filed on Sep. 6, 2008, whichapplication is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. Thisapplication claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. PatentApplication Ser. No. 61/187,124, entitled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FORMANAGING CONTENT DELIVERY AND MEASURING ENGAGEMENT,” by Mark Herrmann etal., filed on Jun. 15, 2009, which application is incorporated herein byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The field of the invention relates generally to gaming, collecting andusing information relating to player engagement through multiplemarketing channels to unify marketing efforts and make them moreimpactful, profitable and efficient.

BACKGROUND

It can be appreciated that gambling establishments (e.g., casino,lottery other lawful gambling establishments) have a desire to keeptheir players engaged and interested in their brand. Player loyaltyclubs, “member's only” clubs, or similar programs are a common methodused by gambling establishments to attempt to achieve this goal. Theseclubs typically provide one or more benefits to players, such asdiscounts, advanced notification of news and events, mailing lists, andother benefits.

It has become a common practice for these establishments to exposecertain aspects of their club experience through an interactive medium,such as a website. Interactive content made available to patrons throughan interactive medium tends to vary from display of a patron's playerclub points to tools that enable patrons the ability to book hotel roomsonline. Even though the content and tools provide some utility tomembers of the club, it remains a constant challenge for gamingestablishment to provide content that continually attracts and engagesmembers so that they interact on a frequency that is valuable to thegaming establishment. Gaming establishments often find they must investa significant amount of time and money into promoting return visitationto interactive content. It can be appreciated that content and toolsthat attract without the need for a significant investment incontinually marketing the content and tools is highly valuable to thegaming establishment. Through the ever evolving advancements in moderntechnology, such as mobile telephones, laptop computers, wirelessinternet connections, and interactive television, reaching and engagingplayers has become increasingly more challenging for marketingorganizations. The average consumer receives hundreds if not thousandsof marketing messages daily, through various marketing channels. It canbe appreciated that cutting through that clutter and being noticed by aconsumer has become more costly and requires a much higher level ofsophistication.

Not only has modern technology allowed for an explosion in communicationand engagement options for the player, but has equally increased thenumber of marketing tools and options available to marketingprofessionals. Direct mail, billboards, radio and television have beenthe traditional channels used in a gaming establishment's marketingarsenal. Email marketing, web advertising, Twitter, Facebook, SMS,mobile technology, SEO, “Micro-sites” are examples of new methods thatmay be used by some gambling establishments to reach and engage aplayer. This has raised the level of intellectual knowledge andeducation that someone in the role of marketing requires to produceresults necessary for the success of a casino or lottery organization.

Technology has not only advanced the number of available externalmarketing channels, but also through the introduction of network-basedcasino management systems, has created new internal channels fordelivering content and messages to a player while they are at the gamingestablishment.

With the emergence of these new external and internal channels, it hasbecome increasingly more challenging for any marketing organization toeffectively manage messaging and content across these channels as wellas measure the performance of their marketing initiatives. The knowledgerequired to manage a unified marketing campaign among one or many ofthese channels becomes more and more costly as newer channels emerge. Toget the best return on investment, each channel requires a significantamount of human attention and intellectual capital. To continuallyoperate within all of the channels requires a significant amount ofoperational support and monetary investment.

Any effort to produce the level of sophistication and resource necessaryto effectively manage a casino or lottery marketing initiative for theirplayer club must include a capability to determine the most effectivedelivery mechanisms to reach their consumers, measure engagement acrossthe most effective delivery channels and track subsequent and connectedactions taken by the consumer once they have engaged. With thiscapability, a gaming establishment can then determine the content,applications, channels, networks and tools that most effectively driverevenue and deliver the best return on investment.

SUMMARY

Improved systems, methods and apparatus are required to providemarketing professionals within the casino, lottery and gaming industriesa unified platform and middleware for the production, delivery,management and measurement of consumer engagement across multipledelivery mechanisms, networks, applications, platforms and marketingchannels.

According to one aspect, systems and methods are provided for managinginteractive player engagement with content. Various aspects of thesystems and methods manage the content to be delivered, the mechanismthrough which the content is delivered, determination of eligibility toreceive the content, and can also provide for user, system and/oroperator configurable preferences for any of the content, the deliverymechanism, and the adaptation of the content and/or delivery based onperformance information. Additional aspects of systems and methods formanaging interactive player engagement with content include systems andmethods for tracking and/or reporting on activity associated withdelivered content, whether the information source is internal orexternal and also provides for retrieval through interface elements. Inone example, content is delivered in association with unique identifyinginformation, that enables tracking of access to the content and trackingof any activity associated with the accessed content.

According to one aspect a method for managing interactive userengagement is provided. The method comprises the acts of registering,over a computer network, a user for a user account, associating, by acomputer system, an external account with the user account, determining,by the computer system, eligibility of the user to receive content,identifying, by the computer system, at least one delivery channel,wherein the delivery channel conveys a communication configured toprovide the content in a perceptible form to the user, delivering thecontent to the user over the at least one delivery channel, andtracking, by the computer system, content associated activity.

According to one embodiment, user accounts are viewed from theperspective of an online incentive system. The online incentive systemprovides offers and opportunities that incent user behavior. In oneexample, the online incentive system provides offers and opportunitiesto a user population to incent the users to visit a gambling location.External systems and accounts are viewed from the same perspective. Inother words, the user accounts that provide access to the incentivesystem, the management accounts for the incentive system, the computersystems and processes that support the incentive system are all internalwhile the gambling location's user accounts are external to theincentive system. One should appreciate, in light of the presentdisclosure, that interaction between the incentive system and externalsystems facilitates the process of incenting behavior of the userpopulation. However, in practice it has often been difficult to achievecooperation between such entities. Further, other external accountsexist and can include information on the users of the user populationthat can be employed to refine any incentive approach. External accountsare discussed in greater detail herein, and can include cell phoneservice accounts, online e-mail accounts, to provide a few examples.

In one embodiment, the external account comprises a third party service,and further requires user identification to access the third partyservice. In another embodiment, the act of associating, by the computersystem, the external account with the user account includes an act ofgenerating the external account on behalf of the user. In anotherembodiment, the external account includes at least one of casino orlottery player club accounts, FACEBOOK accounts, TWITTER accounts,MYSPACE accounts, email accounts, SMS accounts (cell phone number),loyalty accounts, frequent flyer accounts, and frequent traveleraccounts. In yet another embodiment, the external account comprises auser reward account.

In one embodiment, the act of registering, over a computer network, theuser for the user account includes an act of associating informationwith the user account. In another embodiment, the information includesat least one of demographic and preference information. In anotherembodiment, the demographic and the preference information includes atleast one of first name, last name, date of birth, zip code, phonenumber, gender, marital status, number of children, income, favoritedrink, preferred games, favorite gaming establishments, most frequentedgaming establishments, average spend per gaming visit, bet limits,inclusion on gaming restriction list. In another embodiment, the methodcomprises an act of establishing a user profile associated with a useraccount. In yet another embodiment, the user profile includesdemographic and preference information.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises an act of permitting auser to define preference information associated with the at least onedelivery channel. In another embodiment, the method further comprises anact of establishing preference information associated with the at leastone delivery channel. In yet another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of recording preference information associated with theat least one delivery channel with a user profile. In one embodiment,the act of registering, over a computer network, the user for the useraccount includes an act of providing for generation of an externalaccount for the user. In another embodiment, the act of providing forgeneration of an external account for the user includes transmittinguser information to an external account generation system. In anotherembodiment, the external account generation system includes at least oneof a casino management system and a lottery management system.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofidentifying external accounts associated with the user. In anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act transmitting a requestto external account providers to determine existence of an externalaccount. In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofmining data for a user's computer system. In yet another embodiment, themethod further comprises an act of identifying an external accountbased, at least in part, the data captured from the user's computersystem.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act of requestingthe user to identify external accounts during registration. In anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of registering a userfor an external account, and wherein the act of the registering, over acomputer network, the user for the user account occurs in response tothe act of registering the user for an external account. In anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of scoring the userbased at least in part of information associated with the user account.In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act of updatingthe user account with information associated with the user. In yetanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of updating theuser profile with information associated with the user. In anotherembodiment, the information associated with the user includes at leastone of demographic information, user activity occurring at a gamblinglocation, user activity occurring at an affiliated location, useractivity occurring at a redemption location, user online activity, anduser offline activity. In another embodiment, the act of identifying, bythe computer system, the at least one delivery channel includes an actof determining a preferred delivery channel. In another embodiment, thepreferred delivery channel is assigned by the computer system.

In one embodiment, the preferred delivery channel is defined in a userprofile. In another embodiment, the preferred delivery channel isdefined according to the content delivered. In another embodiment, thepreferred delivery channel is determined dynamically.

In another embodiment, the preferred delivery channel is determineddynamically based at least in part on a calculation of return. Inanother embodiment, the preferred delivery channel is determineddynamically based at least in part on a prediction of return. In anotherembodiment, the preferred delivery channel is determined dynamicallybased at least in part on the user profile. In another embodiment, thepreferred delivery channel is determined based at least in part on userprofile and user behavior.

In one embodiment, the act of identifying, by the computer system, theat least one delivery channel includes determining at least one of ajurisdictional limitation, a user preference, a scoring based on userassociated information, a selection based on content associatedinformation, a probability of engagement, and a prediction ofengagement. In another embodiment, the method further comprises an actof associating a delivery channel with the user.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofassociating a delivery channel with the user account. In anotherembodiment, the delivery channel includes at least one of an emailservice provider, an email address, a phone carrier, a home phonenumber, a business phone number, an automated calling and telemarketingsystem (“robo-dialing”), a cell phone carrier, a cell phone number, anelectronic billboard, online advertising, online advertising networks, ablog, a blog network, a FACEBOOK page, a FACEBOOK account, a MYSPACEpage, a MYSPACE account, a TWITTER page, a TWITTER account, a billboard,a classified ad, a classified advertising network, an online classifiedadvertising network, an advertising network, an advertising agency, abrochure, a postcard, a website, a webpage, and a personal webpage thatrequires login by the user.

In one embodiment the method further comprises an act of creating aunique identifier for the delivery channel. In another embodiment, theunique identifier is unique with respect to other delivery channels. Inanother embodiment, the unique identifier is unique with respect to thedelivery channel and the user. In another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of classifying the delivery channel. In anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of creating a channelprofile. In another embodiment, the act of classifying the deliverychannel includes storing characteristics of the delivery channel. Inanother embodiment, the characteristics of the delivery channel includesa device profile for a device used by the user to perceive thecommunication. In another embodiment, the device profile identifiescharacteristics associated with at least one device, wherein thecharacteristics include at least one of display size, permissiblecontent, media delivery type, optimal format for content delivery,messaging size constraints, and content format constraint.

In another embodiment, the act of classifying the delivery channelincludes an act of storing characteristics associated with a deliverydevice. In another embodiment, the delivery device includes at least oneof a cell phone, a mobile device, a laptop, and a desktop computer. Inanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of establishingfiltering rules for the delivery channel. In another embodiment, thefiltering rules prohibit delivery of the content over the deliverychannel. In another embodiment, the act of classifying the deliverychannel includes an act of storing historical activity informationassociated with delivered content. In another embodiment, the historicalactivity information includes information on success of delivery of thecontent, timing of access to the content, and timing of redemption ofthe content.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises an act of identifying apreferred delivery channel based, at least in part, on historicalactivity information. In one embodiment, the method further comprises anact of classifying the content. In another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of associating the content with the at leastone delivery channel. In another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of associating an identifier with the content. Inanother embodiment, the identifier uniquely identifies the content withrespect to other content. In another embodiment, the content includes atleast one of adobe PDF application, web application, javaScriptapplication, AJAX application, HTML Application, WAP Application, MMSApplication, SMS Application, iPhone Application, BREW Application, J2MEApplication, J2EE Application, Java Application, PHP Application, pythonapplication, C/C++ Application, C# Application, Visual BasicApplication, Microsoft .NET Application, Google Gears Application,Facebook Application, Compiled Application, Downloadable Application, atext message, a HTML Message, an email, a SMS message, an offer, avoucher, a coupon, a barcode, an image, questionnaire application, quizapplication, personal rewards points display application, personaljackpot counters and displays, generic jackpot counters and displays,personal and general sweepstakes status displays, personal contestleader boards, generic contest leader boards, personal (targeted) andgeneral calendar, personal (targeted) advertising displays, personalrewards calculator that indicates when rewards are achieved next, videodisplay application, video streaming application, live video streamingapplication, video conferencing application, generic rewards calculator,personal diary, personal room reservation information, room reservationapplication, personal event reservation and ticket information, eventreservations and ticket purchase application, travel reservation andticket purchase information, and travel reservations and ticket purchaseapplication.

In another embodiment, the act of associating the content with the atleast one delivery channel includes an act of identifying a deliverychannel used with the content. In another embodiment, the act ofidentifying the delivery channel occurs in response to informationreceived from at least one of the user, the operator, the contentprovider, and a dynamic determination of an optimal delivery channel. Inanother embodiment, the act of identifying the delivery channelsincludes identification of a plurality of delivery channels.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act of generatinga content profile. In another embodiment, the content profile includesdelivery triggers associated with the content. In another embodiment,the act of delivering the content to the user over the at least onedelivery channel occurs in response to a determination that the criteriafor the delivery trigger has been satisfied. In another embodiment, theact of delivering the content to the user over the at least one deliverychannel includes an act of packing the content for delivery. In anotherembodiment, the act of packing the content for delivery includes an actof scaling the content. In another embodiment, the act of scaling thecontent includes an act of altering the content to correspond to channelcharacteristics. In another embodiment, the act of determining, by thecomputer system, eligibility of the user to receive the content includesa determination that the user meets predetermined criteria. In anotherembodiment, the predetermined criteria include a user selection toopt-in to receiving the content. In another embodiment, thepredetermined criteria includes a minimum score associated with theuser. In another embodiment, the predetermined criteria includes aminimum value associated with the user.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act of scalingthe content based, at least in part, on the value associated with theuser. In another embodiment, the predetermined criteria includelimitations on the content. In another embodiment, the limitationsinclude a jurisdictional limit. In another embodiment, the limitationsinclude a user defined limit. In another embodiment, the predeterminedcriteria includes at least one of access to previously delivered contentand redemption of previously delivered content. In another embodiment,the predetermined criteria includes an eligibility matrix. In anotherembodiment, the act of tracking, by the computer system, contentassociated activity includes tracking metrics associated with successfuldelivery of the content. In another embodiment, the act of tracking, bythe computer system, content associated activity includes tracking asuccess as access to the content by the user. In another embodiment, theact of tracking, by the computer system, content associated activityincludes tracking a success as redemption of the content by the user. Inanother embodiment, the act of tracking, by the computer system, contentassociated activity includes recording a status associated with the atleast one delivery channel. In another embodiment, the act of tracking,by the computer system, content associated activity includes trackingredemption of the content. In another embodiment, the act of tracking,by the computer system, content associated activity includes trackingaccess to the content. In another embodiment, the act of tracking, bythe computer system, content associated activity includes trackingtiming of any access and any redemption of the content. In anotherembodiment, the act of tracking, by the computer system, contentassociated activity includes accepting information from externalaccounts.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act of updating auser profile based on the content associated activity. In anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of generating an optimalengagement path for a user. In another embodiment, the calculation ofreturn includes a determination of cost of delivery, probability ofredemption, and value of redemption. In another embodiment, theprediction of return includes a prediction of cost of delivery, ofredemption, and value of redemption. In another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises the acts of establishing a user record, wherein theuser record is capable of uniquely identifying a user, deliveringcontent to a user population based on demographic information associatedwith the player population, uniquely identifying user from within theuser population, and wherein the act of registering the user includes anact of associating an identified user with the user record.

According to another aspect a method for determining an optimalengagement path for content delivery to at least one user is provided.The method comprises establishing at least one delivery channel forcommunicating with the at least one user, delivery content to the atleast one user over the at least one delivery channel, trackingsuccessful delivery to the at least one user over the at least onedelivery channel, and determining an optimal delivery path for anycontent.

According to one aspect of the present invention, a non-transientcomputer-readable medium having computer-readable signals stored thereonthat define instructions that, as a result of being executed by aprocessor, instruct the processor to perform a method for managinginteractive user engagement is provided. The method comprises the actsof registering, over a computer network, a user for a user account,associating, by a computer system, an external account with the useraccount, determining, by the computer system, eligibility of the user toreceive content, identifying, by the computer system, at least onedelivery channel, wherein the delivery channel conveys a communicationconfigured to provide the content in a perceptible form to the user,delivering the content to the user over the at least one deliverychannel, and tracking, by the computer system, content associatedactivity. In one embodiment, the external account comprises a thirdparty service, and further requires user identification to access thethird party service. In another embodiment, the act of associating, bythe computer system, the external account with the user account includesan act of generating the external account on behalf of the user. Inanother embodiment, the external account includes at least one of casinoor lottery player club accounts, FACEBOOK accounts, TWITTER accounts,MYSPACE accounts, email accounts, SMS accounts (cell phone number),loyalty accounts, frequent flyer accounts, and frequent traveleraccounts. In yet another embodiment, the external account comprises auser reward account.

In one embodiment, the act of registering, over a computer network, theuser for the user account includes an act of associating informationwith the user account. In another embodiment, the information includesat least one of demographic and preference information. In anotherembodiment, the demographic and the preference information includes atleast one of first name, last name, date of birth, zip code, phonenumber, gender, marital status, number of children, income, favoritedrink, preferred games, favorite gaming establishments, most frequentedgaming establishments, average spend per gaming visit, bet limits,inclusion on gaming restriction list. In another embodiment, the methodcomprises an act of establishing a user profile associated with a useraccount. In yet another embodiment, the user profile includesdemographic and preference information.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises an act of permitting auser to define preference information associated with the at least onedelivery channel. In another embodiment, the method further comprises anact of establishing preference information associated with the at leastone delivery channel. In yet another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of recording preference information associated with theat least one delivery channel with a user profile. In one embodiment,the act of registering, over a computer network, the user for the useraccount includes an act of providing for generation of an externalaccount for the user. In another embodiment, the act of providing forgeneration of an external account for the user includes transmittinguser information to an external account generation system. In anotherembodiment, the external account generation system includes at least oneof a casino management system and a lottery management system.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofidentifying external accounts associated with the user. In anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act transmitting a requestto external account providers to determine existence of an externalaccount. In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofmining data for a user's computer system. In yet another embodiment, themethod further comprises an act of identifying an external accountbased, at least in part, the data captured from the user's computersystem.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act of requestingthe user to identify external accounts during registration. In anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of registering a userfor an external account, and wherein the act of the registering, over acomputer network, the user for the user account occurs in response tothe act of registering the user for an external account. In anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of scoring the userbased at least in part of information associated with the user account.In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act of updatingthe user account with information associated with the user. In yetanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of updating theuser profile with information associated with the user. In anotherembodiment, the information associated with the user includes at leastone of demographic information, user activity occurring at a gamblinglocation, user activity occurring at an affiliated location, useractivity occurring at a redemption location, user online activity, anduser offline activity. In another embodiment, the act of identifying, bythe computer system, the at least one delivery channel includes an actof determining a preferred delivery channel. In another embodiment, thepreferred delivery channel is assigned by the computer system.

In one embodiment, the preferred delivery channel is defined in a userprofile. In another embodiment, the preferred delivery channel isdefined according to the content delivered. In another embodiment, thepreferred delivery channel is determined dynamically. In anotherembodiment, the preferred delivery channel is determined dynamicallybased at least in part on a calculation of return. In anotherembodiment, the preferred delivery channel is determined dynamicallybased at least in part on a prediction of return. In another embodiment,the preferred delivery channel is determined dynamically based at leastin part on the user profile. In another embodiment, the preferreddelivery channel is determined based at least in part on user profileand user behavior.

In one embodiment, the act of identifying, by the computer system, theat least one delivery channel includes determining at least one of ajurisdictional limitation, a user preference, a scoring based on userassociated information, a selection based on content associatedinformation, a probability of engagement, and a prediction ofengagement. In another embodiment, the method further comprises an actof associating a delivery channel with the user.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act ofassociating a delivery channel with the user account. In anotherembodiment, the delivery channel includes at least one of an emailservice provider, an email address, a phone carrier, a home phonenumber, a business phone number, an automated calling and telemarketingsystem (“robo-dialing”), a cell phone carrier, a cell phone number, anelectronic billboard, online advertising, online advertising networks, ablog, a blog network, a FACEBOOK page, a FACEBOOK account, a MYSPACEpage, a MYSPACE account, a TWITTER page, a TWITTER account, a billboard,a classified ad, a classified advertising network, an online classifiedadvertising network, an advertising network, an advertising agency, abrochure, a postcard, a website, a webpage, and a personal webpage thatrequires login by the user.

In one embodiment the method further comprises an act of creating aunique identifier for the delivery channel. In another embodiment, theunique identifier is unique with respect to other delivery channels. Inanother embodiment, the unique identifier is unique with respect to thedelivery channel and the user. In another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of classifying the delivery channel. In anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of creating a channelprofile. In another embodiment, the act of classifying the deliverychannel includes storing characteristics of the delivery channel. Inanother embodiment, the characteristics of the delivery channel includea device profile for a device used by the user to perceive thecommunication. In another embodiment, the device profile identifiescharacteristics associated with at least one device, wherein thecharacteristics include at least one of display size, permissiblecontent, media delivery type, optimal format for content delivery,messaging size constraints, and content format constraint.

In another embodiment, the act of classifying the delivery channelincludes an act of storing characteristics associated with a deliverydevice. In another embodiment, the delivery device includes at least oneof a cell phone, a mobile device, a laptop, and a desktop computer. Inanother embodiment, the method further comprises an act of establishingfiltering rules for the delivery channel. In another embodiment, thefiltering rules prohibit delivery of the content over the deliverychannel. In another embodiment, the act of classifying the deliverychannel includes an act of storing historical activity informationassociated with delivered content. In another embodiment, the historicalactivity information includes information on success of delivery of thecontent, timing of access to the content, and timing of redemption ofthe content.

In one embodiment, the method further comprises an act of identifying apreferred delivery channel based, at least in part, on historicalactivity information. In one embodiment, the method further comprises anact of classifying the content. In another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises an act of associating the content with the at leastone delivery channel. In another embodiment, the method furthercomprises an act of associating an identifier with the content. Inanother embodiment, the identifier uniquely identifies the content withrespect to other content. In another embodiment, the content includes atleast one of adobe PDF application, web application, javaScriptapplication, AJAX application, HTML Application, WAP Application, MMSApplication, SMS Application, iPhone Application, BREW Application, J2MEApplication, J2EE Application, Java Application, PHP Application, pythonapplication, C/C++ Application, C# Application, Visual BasicApplication, Microsoft .NET Application, Google Gears Application,Facebook Application, Compiled Application, Downloadable Application, atext message, a HTML Message, an email, a SMS message, an offer, avoucher, a coupon, a barcode, an image, questionnaire application, quizapplication, personal rewards points display application, personaljackpot counters and displays, generic jackpot counters and displays,personal and general sweepstakes status displays, personal contestleader boards, generic contest leader boards, personal (targeted) andgeneral calendar, personal (targeted) advertising displays, personalrewards calculator that indicates when rewards are achieved next, videodisplay application, video streaming application, live video streamingapplication, video conferencing application, generic rewards calculator,personal diary, personal room reservation information, room reservationapplication, personal event reservation and ticket information, eventreservations and ticket purchase application, travel reservation andticket purchase information, and travel reservations and ticket purchaseapplication.

In another embodiment, the act of associating the content with the atleast one delivery channel includes an act of identifying a deliverychannel used with the content. In another embodiment, the act ofidentifying the delivery channel occurs in response to informationreceived from at least one of the user, the operator, the contentprovider, and a dynamic determination of an optimal delivery channel. Inanother embodiment, the act of identifying the delivery channelsincludes identification of a plurality of delivery channels.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act of generatinga content profile. In another embodiment, the content profile includesdelivery triggers associated with the content. In another embodiment,the act of delivering the content to the user over the at least onedelivery channel occurs in response to a determination that the criteriafor the delivery trigger has been satisfied. In another embodiment, theact of delivering the content to the user over the at least one deliverychannel includes an act of packing the content for delivery. In anotherembodiment, the act of packing the content for delivery includes an actof scaling the content. In another embodiment, the act of scaling thecontent includes an act of altering the content to correspond to channelcharacteristics. In another embodiment, the act of determining, by thecomputer system, eligibility of the user to receive the content includesa determination that the user meets predetermined criteria. In anotherembodiment, the predetermined criteria include a user selection toopt-in to receiving the content. In another embodiment, thepredetermined criteria include a minimum score associated with the user.In another embodiment, the predetermined criteria include a minimumvalue associated with the user.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act of scalingthe content based, at least in part, on the value associated with theuser. In another embodiment, the predetermined criteria includelimitations on the content. In another embodiment, the limitationsinclude a jurisdictional limit. In another embodiment, the limitationsinclude a user defined limit. In another embodiment, the predeterminedcriteria include at least one of access to previously delivered contentand redemption of previously delivered content. In another embodiment,the predetermined criteria include an eligibility matrix. In anotherembodiment, the act of tracking, by the computer system, contentassociated activity includes tracking metrics associated with successfuldelivery of the content. In another embodiment, the act of tracking, bythe computer system, content associated activity includes tracking asuccess as access to the content by the user. In another embodiment, theact of tracking, by the computer system, content associated activityincludes tracking a success as redemption of the content by the user. Inanother embodiment, the act of tracking, by the computer system, contentassociated activity includes recording a status associated with the atleast one delivery channel. In another embodiment, the act of tracking,by the computer system, content associated activity includes trackingredemption of the content. In another embodiment, the act of tracking,by the computer system, content associated activity includes trackingaccess to the content. In another embodiment, the act of tracking, bythe computer system, content associated activity includes trackingtiming of any access and any redemption of the content. In anotherembodiment, the act of tracking, by the computer system, contentassociated activity includes accepting information from externalaccounts.

In another embodiment, the method further comprises an act of updating auser profile based on the content associated activity. In anotherembodiment, the method further comprises an act of generating an optimalengagement path for a user. In another embodiment, the calculation ofreturn includes a determination of cost of delivery, probability ofredemption, and value of redemption. In another embodiment, theprediction of return includes a prediction of cost of delivery, ofredemption, and value of redemption. In another embodiment, the methodfurther comprises the acts of establishing a user record, wherein theuser record is capable of uniquely identifying a user, deliveringcontent to a user population based on demographic information associatedwith the player population, uniquely identifying user from within theuser population, and wherein the act of registering the user includes anact of associating an identified user with the user record.

According to another aspect, a computer-readable medium havingcomputer-readable signals stored thereon that define instructions that,as a result of being executed by a processor, instruct the processor toperform a method for determining an optimal engagement path for contentdelivery to at least one user is provided. The method comprisesestablishing at least one delivery channel for communicating with the atleast one user, delivery content to the at least one user over the atleast one delivery channel, tracking successful delivery to the at leastone user over the at least one delivery channel, and determining anoptimal delivery path for any content.

According to another aspect a system for managing interactive userengagement is provided. The system comprises a registration componentconfigured to register a user for a user account, an associationcomponent configured to associated an external account with the useraccount, an eligibility component configured to determine eligibility ofthe user to receive content, a selection component configured toidentify at least one delivery channel, wherein the delivery channelconveys a communication configured to provide the content in aperceptible form to the user, a transmission component configured todeliver the content to the user over the at least one delivery channel,and a tracking component configured to track content associatedactivity.

According to another aspect a system for determining an optimalengagement path for content delivery to at least one user is provided.The system comprises a registration component configured to establish atleast one delivery channel for communicating with the at least one user,a transmission component configured to deliver content to the at leastone user over the at least one delivery channel, a tracking componentfor identifying successful delivery to the at least one user over the atleast one delivery channel, and an optimization component configured todetermine an optimal delivery path for any content.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various aspects of at least one embodiment are discussed herein withreference to the accompanying figures, which are not intended to bedrawn to scale. The figures are included to provide illustration and afurther understanding of the various aspects and embodiments, and areincorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, but are notintended as a definition of the limits of the invention. Where technicalfeatures in the figures, detailed description or any claim are followedby references signs, the reference signs have been included for the solepurpose of increasing the intelligibility of the figures, detaileddescription, and/or claims. Accordingly, neither the reference signs northeir absence are intended to have any limiting effect on the scope ofany claim elements. In the figures, each identical or nearly identicalcomponent that is illustrated in various figures is represented by alike numeral. For purposes of clarity, not every component may belabeled in every figure. In the figures:

FIG. 1 is a illustration of an example of system elements and logic flowfor management, delivery, display, engagement, tracking and feedback forcontent provided to users, according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example system coupling an online systemand external account system, according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example system coupling an online systemand external account system, according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an example system for associating a useraccount stored on an online system with an external account stored on anexternal system, according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 5 is a an example process for associating external accounts with anonline system content system, according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 6 is an example process associated with determining eligibility forcontent driven by measurable activities linked to player identity,according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an example process for generating anengagement score, according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an example process for calculating returnon investment for an engagement path, according to aspects of theinvention;

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example system for managing interactiveuser engagement, according to aspects of the invention;

FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an example system for managing interactiveuser engagement, according to aspects of the invention; and

FIG. 11 is a block diagram of an example system for managing interactiveuser engagement, according to aspects of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to one aspect of this invention, a player club (lottery orcasino), profile analysis, behavioral targeting and tracked playerengagement is combined with one or more systems, methods and apparatusto provide marketing professionals within the casino, lottery and gamingindustries a unified platform and middleware for the production,delivery, management and measurement of consumer engagement acrossmultiple interactive delivery mechanisms, networks, applications,platforms and marketing channels. These systems, methods and apparatusprovide operators with a unique, unified and efficient approach tointeractive content delivery, content management and content engagementtracking across all of their potential interactive consumer engagementchannels.

System for Managing and Delivering Content and Tracking Engagement

In one aspect of this invention, an online system exists that provides afacility for the registration and management of online user accounts,the management of user profiles, the association of online user accountswith external accounts (such as player ids and accounts management by acasino management system or a lottery vip club), the identification andmanagement of delivery channels, the storage and management of content,the loading and frequent updating of online and external account data,the processing of online and external account data, the management ofuser content eligibility, the selection of content for delivery, thescaling and pre-rendering of content for delivery, the user specified,rules-based and scripted delivery of content, measurement of contentreceipt, the tracking of engagement with content, and the tracking ofsubsequent and related actions taken by the user.

For example, an online player web portal is provided as a contentdelivery channel by a casino player club or a lottery VIP club. Throughthis channel, consumers are provided the ability to register for a useraccount and interact online with content made eligible to them anddelivered by the system. The online player web portal allows the user,once they have registered, to create a profile and to add and modifyprofile attributes, such as favorite drink, favorite games, preferredsports, and profile photo. The system provides the ability for the user,the casino or the lottery to link accounts associated with theregistered player, such as player accounts that exist in a playermanagement or player tracking system. The system also provides thecapability for the user to indicate other accounts by which they want tolink to the online web portal, such as but not limited to cell phoneaccounts, credit card accounts, and frequent flyer accounts, travelaccounts and a multitude of other potential accounts linked to the user.Once external accounts are associated with the system, data can betransferred and analyzed by the online system, or by the externalsystem, to create a much more seamless user experience from theinteractive channel to on property engagement. Data gathered andprocessed from an external system can be used to determine other playerpreferences, frequency of travel, purchasing habits, and brandaffinities. Content can also be made eligible to the user and deliveredto the user through the online system, such as but not limited tocoupons, offers, a personal calendar, advertising, web applications, winloss statements, gaming history and personalized messages from thegaming establishment or lottery targeted to the player.

An example process 500 for associating external accounts with an onlinesystem for delivering content and tracking content activity isillustrated in FIG. 5. Process 500 begins with registering a user for anaccount on an on-line system at 502. According to one embodiment, theonline system is configured to request information from a user regardingany existing external accounts. In some embodiments, the online systemcan request information from an external source in response todemographic information input into the system. For example, a cell phonenumber entered into the online system can trigger an inquiry to a cellphone provider to identify and associate external account informationwith the online account. In another example, during registration theuser is prompted to enter external account credentials, for example, auser name and password associated with the cell phone account. Theinformation is stored with the user information so the externalassociate can be used by the online system.

In one example, content is provided for delivery to users. The onlinesystem can store the content and provide for delivery and/or viewing ofthe content. However, process 500 includes a step of determiningeligibility to receive and/or view the content at 506. The step ofdetermining eligibility can also include determining if any exclusionsapply to the content. For example, users may establish exclusionarycriteria that would prevent the content from being displayed. In anotherexample, jurisdictional limitations can prevent display of content andany offers associated with them.

Once eligibility has been determined, process 500 continues with anidentification of a delivery channel at 508 to employ to deliver thecontent. In one example, identification of the delivery channel can beestablished by user profile. In another example, the identification ofthe delivery channel can proceed automatically.

In one embodiment, the system can calculate a return on investment forthe delivery channel and content. Shown for example in FIG. 8 is avisual depiction of a plurality of delivery channels for content andeach potential path for delivering content to a user is identified, andbased on, for example tracked information the path with the highestreturn on investment can be identified. In particular, at 801 an SMSoffer is transmitted to a user. The user redeems the offer at a website802. The offer can indicate that upon on the next visit to a gamblinglocation at which s/he swipes their frequent player card 803, a creditwill be awarded. Having provided an incentive for the user to visit thegambling location and having provided an offer worth some money, theuser may spend, for example money, loyalty points, redemption awards,etc. at the gambling location. The amount of money spent can be trackedat 804. The total spent leads directly to the calculation of the path'sROI. Nodes 810-850 represent suboptimal delivery channels in thisexample. Nodes 810-850 can take on almost any type of communicationvehicle and/or setting and each can be analyzed and compared todetermine, in some examples, predictive information tied to ROI, and inother examples historical analysis of ROI, and in yet others acombination of both.

Returning to FIG. 5, once the appropriate delivery channel has beenselected, the content is delivered using the channel at 510. Trackingcontent activity at 512 permits the process to refine for exampleselection of the delivery channel. Tracked activity can include receiptof the content, access to the content, and subsequent and/or relatedactions, as discussed in greater detail herein.

An example system for delivering content, displaying content, engagingplayer(s), tracking player(s), and for providing feedback is shown inFIG. 1. The example system can be configured to execute example process500.

Shown in FIG. 1 are various computer implemented components of a contentdelivery mechanism, where select content is delivered to a patron based,at least in part, on the patron's profile and selection of a deliverychannel for the content. A content component retains potential content102 in a storage medium. In one implementation the content componentcomprises hardware and software elements for the organization andmaintenance of a plurality of content for delivery to a plurality ofpatrons. The content can be uniquely identified for each item of contentthat can be delivered. The unique content identifier can be unique forthe patron. As discussed in greater detail below the content that can bepresented to a patron varies widely. Content can include for examplegaming offers 102A, hotel discounts 102B, mini applications 102D.Further the content component can be configured to determine aredemption value associated with any potential content 102. In oneembodiment the content component includes a redemption calculator. Insome implementations, the redemption calculator can be a separatecomponent that comprises hardware and software elements. In otherimplementations, the redemption calculator can be an element of thecontent component. The content component itself can be hosted on acomputer server, can be a computer server with the hardware forexecuting content management logic, and in some embodiments can be partof a distrusted computing system. In another embodiment, a redemptioncalculator 102C can also be content to be delivered to a patron as, forexample, an executable program.

An eligibility component can be configured to control delivery ofpotential content 102 to a patron. The eligibility component candetermine whether criteria is met by a particular patron, and based onthe criteria select potential content for subsequent presentation of thecontent to the patron at 104 by a delivery component. The eligibilitycomponent can evaluate a patron profile to determine what content can bedelivered to a patron, converting potential content into presentedcontent by communicating the content from the content component to adelivery component 104. The eligibility component can be integrated witha tracking system that stores information on a patron. The informationstored on the patron can include a patron profile 106. The patronprofile can be stored as for example a database, although other computerstorage mechanisms can be employed. In one embodiment, a trackingcomponent stores patron profiles in a database. The patron profile caninclude various forms of information on the patron as discussed ingreater detail below. In one example, the patron profile includesdemographic information for the patron. In another example the patronprofile can include preference information for the patron, and in othersdelivery channel information and delivery channel preferenceinformation.

The delivery component can be configured to deliver select content to apatron through a variety of communication/delivery channels. Deliverychannels can include interactive TV 108A, cell phone 108B, smart phone108C, computer systems 108D, or physical locations where content can bereceived for example, during a casino visit 108E. The delivery and/orthe participation in the patron in content associated activity can betracked and scored. The scoring 110 can be part of a tracking operationperformed by a tracking system that stores the tracked information aswell as any scoring derived in a patron profile.

The tracking system can also be configured to accumulate information ondelivered content, actual redemption, viewing of content, and/or othercontent associated actions discussed in greater detail below. Thetracking system can provide for scoring of the player, the content,and/or the delivery mechanism based on the tracked information includingany content associated activity. According to one embodiment, thecontent delivery mechanism shown in FIG. 1 improves patron profilesbased, at least in part, on the measuring and scoring engagement by thepatron.

The user engagement with the delivered content is then tracked andprocessed by the system. Through external associated accounts andsystems, subsequent engagement and actions with related systems is alsotracked. Engagement data from the content delivered by the system andengagement with external associated systems can then be processed andanalyzed to determine the best users, content and channels fordelivering content for achieving core business objectives.

In one aspect of this invention, the system is operated independentlyand accessed through public or private networks. For example, the systemcan operate in a data center and be connected to the public internet orconnect to a private or virtual private network or ‘VPN’. In one aspectof this invention, the system is operated as a component of anothersystem and accessed through public or private networks. For example, thesystem may operate as a component of a casino management or lottery VIPplayer or tracking system. The system in this example can be accessedthrough the public internet, via the same network the casino managementor lottery VIP player or tracking system operates, or via a private orvirtual private network or ‘VPN’.

In one aspect of this invention, a user interface or ‘GUI’ is providedto enable the operator of the online system the ability to manage allaspects of the online system.

Registration, Storage and Management of Accounts

In one aspect of this invention, user accounts are created and stored ina database. The creation of these accounts can be through actions takenat a point of sale (player club desk, casino or lottery retailer) oractions taken by a player using one or many internet based orinteractive registration forms. Shown in FIG. 2 is an example of useraccount association with an external account. User account associationcan include cogeneration of user accounts in conjunction with creationof external accounts. For example, when registration for the account 204occurs through actions taken at a casino player club desk, an interfaceor process 206 exists between the player club desk, the casinomanagement system (external account systems 202) and the online systemto recognize and initiate the creation of the user account in the onlinesystem 250. When creation of the account occurs through this interface,the id of the player, as recognized by the casino management system, iscommunicated to the online system and then tied to the online account asshown by example in FIG. 2.

In one embodiment, the POS interface 206 is configured to receive anidentifier for the player from data server 208 in the external accountsystem 202. The data server 208 can be configured to generate theidentifier for a new player or retrieve an identifier from a database210. In one embodiment, the identifier is the player's account number212 with the external account system 202. User account association canoccurs when one or the other of the user account and the externalaccount are preexisting. Further user accounts can be associated withmultiple external accounts. The POS interface 206 receives the playeridentifier, whether new or existing, and communicates it to the onlinesystem 250. The online system can be configured to accept the identifierfor example using a data server 251. The data server in response toreceiving the identifier can query a database 252 for any existinginformation associated with the identifier. For settings in which theuser account does not yet exist, a user account 254 is generated basedon the received information, and the external account information isassociated. For situations in which the user account is pre-existing,the existing account is associated with the external account.

In some examples, the external account and the user account can both bepre-existing and the system configured to recognize that an associatedshould be made. The online system 250 is further configured to include acontent server 256 and an eligibility server 258 that interact with aweb server 260. A user 266 can interact with the online system 250,through a browser program 262 displayed on a host computer 264 tocommunicate with the web server 260. The web server can be configured todisplay content from the content server 256 in response to adetermination that the user 266 is eligible to view the content by theeligibility server 258. Computer implemented processes for identifyingand managing content are discussed in greater detail below. In addition,computer implemented processes for determining eligibility of a user arealso discussed in greater detail below.

In one example, the user 266 can be the same person as the player 204,accessing the online system from a host computer after the point of saleactivity that triggered the user account association with the externalaccount has been completed. In another example, when the creation of theuser account is through actions taken by the player 366 using internetbased registration forms displayed on a browser 362 executed on a hostcomputer system 364 from data obtained from web server 360, an interfaceor process 306 exists between the online system 350, the casinomanagement system and the player club (example external account systems302), to a) determine the existence of an account within the casinomanagement system for the user that is initiating the registration b) ifan account does not exist, the creation of a new player club account inthe casino management system c) communicating the id of that playeraccount, as identified by the casino management system, to the onlinesystem, shown by example in FIG. 3.

Online system 350 is further configured interact with the externalaccount system 302 through an interface 306. Online system 350 isfurther configured to process information received from the externalaccount system 302 to associate external accounts with the user accounton the online system 350. Online system 350 accesses a user accountdatabase 352 through a data server 351. In one embodiment, the database352 is accessed to determine an account number 354 for theconsumer/player 366. The consumer/player's account information can becommunicated as part of the POS interface process 306 to determine theexistence of an account with the external system. In some examples,multiple communications can be used to verify an account match. In somesettings, other information can be transmitted to determine if anaccount exists for a player on an external account system 302. Forexample, consumer/player demographic information can be communicated inaddition to or instead of an account number.

External account system 302 receives a request from the online system350 via interface 306. Data server 308 accepts requests from interface306, and can execute queries on a database 310 hosted on the externalaccount system to determine if an account exists for the consumer/player366. In response to a match, the external account system can respondwith an account number 312.

Data server 351 can respond to information communicated by interface306, by storing association information. In one embodiment, theassociation information can be stored as part of the consumer/player'saccount 354. In another embodiment, a player profile can be associatedwith an account, and the external account association information can beretained as part of the player profile. Player profiles can be employedby, for example, eligibility server 358, to determine what contentstored on content server 356 should be presented to the consumer/player366. The functions and processes for determining eligibility, managingand identifying content, identifying delivery channels, delivering thecontent, and tracking activity associated with the content, discussed ingreater detail throughout the disclosure, can be executed on, forexample, online system 350.

In one aspect of this invention, registration for the account occursthrough actions taken at a lottery point of sale.

For example, an interface or process exists between the lottery point ofsale and the online system to recognize and initiate the creation of theuser account in the online system. When creation of the account occursthrough this interface, the id of the player as recognized by the onlinesystem, as well as other attributes associated with the creation of theaccount, are communicated to the point of sale. The point of sale canthen use the unique id for the account, as well as other accountattributes and data, to communicate with the online system for accountstatus, profile data and other information and actions related to theaccount.

In one aspect of this invention, the account created by the onlinesystem represents a lottery VIP club account. For example, the onlinesystem can be used to manage aspects of lottery player and VIP clubs,from account registration, login and management, to database marketing,to point-of-sale management and tracking.

In one aspect of this invention, various security and accesscredentials, unique and specific to the online user account, arecollected from the user and stored on disk or in a database andassociated with the user account.

For example, one, many or a combination of passwords, pins or passphrases are collected from the user to only allow those who possessthose credentials the ability to access the online user account. In onealternative, passwords pins and/or passphrases can be automaticallygenerated. In another alternative, credentials can be stored, forexample using smart card technology. These credentials can also be usedto encrypt sensitive data related to the user account so that only thosewho possess those credentials have the ability to read that sensitivedata. Those skilled in the art can appreciate the need to collect thesecredentials to provide the highest level of security expected byconsumers and IT professionals. It can also be appreciated that bycollecting one, many or a combination of passwords, pins and passphrases that are unique to the online user account, the system providesa level of user access security on top of the user access securitymechanisms employed by account management system current used by casino,lottery and gaming operators.

In one aspect of this invention, various personal, demographic andpreference data is collected and stored on disk or in a database andassociated with the user account.

For example, personal, demographic and preference data may be but notlimited to first name, last name, date of birth, address, zip code, sex,income and favorite drink.

In other aspects of this invention, the personal, demographic andpreference data recorded by the system can be an first name, last name,date of birth, address, zip code, sex, income and favorite drink, aswell as but not limited to one, many or a combination of:

a) First name

b) Last name

c) Date of birth

d) Zip code

e) Phone number

f) Gender

g) Marital status

h) Number of children

i) Income

j) Favorite drink

k) Preferred games

l) Favorite gaming establishments

m) Most frequented gaming establishments

n) Average spend per gaming visit

o) Bet limits

p) Inclusion on gaming restriction list

In one aspect of this invention, the system may collect informationrelated to user preferences for preferred content delivery channels.

For examples, during the registration process, a user may indicate thatthey prefer email as the channel of choice. The user may also indicatethat they prefer SMS messages for coupons and enter in their cell phonenumber for delivery.

In one aspect of this invention, the system may collect informationrelated to user preferences for preferred content delivery.

For example, a user may “opt-in” to receive email alerts for progressivejackpots values. The user may define criteria, such as max jackpotvalue, in which the system will then use as criteria when determiningeligibility for delivery of that email alert to the user.

In one aspect of this invention, a method or process, such as collectingan electronic “signature”, may be presented to allow the user theability to assert that the information they are providing is truthful,factual and correct, to their knowledge.

For example, once the registration for the online user account iscomplete, the last step presents the user with a checkbox that states“by checking this box I assert that the information I have provided istruthful, factual and correct” and a submit button. If the user checksthe checkbox and clicks the submit button, the system records in memory,on disk or in the database that the user has checked the checkbox andassociates that state with the user account. This state then can be usedto gate access to portions of the system that require that state to bechecked. It can be appreciated that this is just one example and thatother methods can be used to provide the user the ability to assert thatthe information they provided is truthful, factual and correct. In oneaspect of this invention, user accounts are stored and managed by anexternal third-party, with the online system managing a replica of thatexternal account.

For example, a third party system can manage a user account on behalf ofthe gaming establishment, lottery or lottery point of sale. An interfaceexists between the online system and the third party system that allowsfor the replication of account data between the two systems. The onlineand external system share unique identifiers to link the account and theaccount replica. Other data attributes, such as ‘create time’, ‘lastupdate time’ are by the online and external system to keep the replicaof the account data up-to-date.

In one aspect of this invention, user accounts are stored and managed byan external third-party, with the online system only storing a uniquereference to the account managed by the third party system. In oneexample, system 350 of FIG. 3 is configured to retrieve the uniquereference from database 352 rather than the account number itself, andretrieve relevant information from the third party system.

For example, a third party system can manage a user account on behalf ofthe gaming establishment, lottery or lottery point of sale. An interfaceexists between the online system and the third party system to constructaccount operations on behalf of the online system. The online systemonly stores, in memory, on disk or in a database, a unique referenceidentifier to the data stored in the external system. During allinterface communication, the unique identifier is used to referenceparticular user accounts, which each user account having its own uniqueidentifier.

Associating Accounts with Online and External Accounts (CasinoManagement System and Lottery VIP Club and Third-Party Accounts)

In one aspect of this invention, user accounts 454 are created andstored in a database 452 of an online system 450 shown in FIG. 4. Oncethe process of creating these accounts is complete (e.g. as describedabove), additional external accounts, such as (but not limited to)casino or lottery player club accounts, Facebook accounts, Twitteraccounts, email accounts, SMS accounts (cell phone number), loyaltyaccounts, frequent flyer accounts, frequent traveler accounts, etc., maybe associated with the online user account and the id of the player, asrecognized by the casino management system from information associatedwith the external account system(s) 402.

For example, user identifiers linking to these accounts, such asusername, password, email address, phone number can be indicated by aplayer either through actions taken on property at the gamingestablishment or actions taken with the online system. When a userindicates external account identifiers, such as username, password,unique id, access code, or account key, through actions taken onproperty at the gaming establishment, an interface exists by which thecasino management system, or a subsequent application running on thegaming establishment's network, enables the user to enter in the accountcredentials. This application then transmits this data to the onlinesystem to then be associated with the online user account. Theassociation can be made through the user or system indicating the onlineuser account credentials, the id of the player as recognized by thecasino management system, or both, shown by example in FIG. 4. When auser indicates external account identifiers through actions taken on theonline system, those external account identifiers, for example externalaccount number 406 stored in database 404 of external account system402, are associated with the online user account and the id of theplayer, as recognized by the casino management system and subsequentlystored in online system's database.

In one aspect of this invention, the online system provides a commoninterface that enables any external entity, system, network, device orapplication the ability to either receive data from the online system,or send data to the online system. In the case where the data istransferred between the online system and an external system, uniqueattributes of the user account, such as a unique id for example, areused to determine which account the data is associated.

For example, a member of a lottery VIP club is made eligible fordelivery of an online sweepstakes application. The member of the lotteryVIP club uses the sweepstakes application to register entries into adrawing for tickets for a Major League baseball game. The lottery, aspart of its relationship with the Major League, transmits data to theMajor League to communicate data related to the users who haveparticipated in the drawing for the Major League baseball tickets.Conversely, if the Major League conducted a promotion and was able toqualify on their participants as having an interest in the lottery, thatdata can be transfer to the lottery, through the use of the onlinesystem, to create an account or additionally populate or update anexisting account's profile with additional and useful attributes

Managing Exclusions, Imposing Jurisdictional Regulations

In one aspect of this invention, exclusion lists are loaded and managedby the online system. The system uses data collected from the user aswell as data loaded, processed and updated from external associatedaccounts to match account registrations with individuals listed on oneor many exclusion lists.

For example, a lottery may have a “Voluntary Exclusion List” that iscreated as people engage with a problem gambling hotline. This list isin place to prevent those with gambling problems from continuing toengage with lottery products. The online system provides an interface bywhich the lottery can import and update the “Voluntary Exclusion List”with the online system. The list is stored by the online system inmemory, on disk or in a database.

In one aspect of this invention, the online system uses differentattributes collected during the online registration process to match thenew registration with individual records in the exclusion list managedby the online system.

For example, a casino may have a list of players that are barred frominteracting with the casino (cheaters, problem gamblers, employees,etc). The online system takes attributes collected during theregistration process, such as but not limited to first name, last name,address, zip code, phone number, social security number, credit cardnumber, license number, email address, date of birth and national id andmatches those attributes with attributes of records on the exclusionlist managed by the online system. If a valid match is confirmed, theregistration with the online system is not allowed.

In one aspect of this invention, data loaded, processed and updated fromexternal associated accounts is used to match the new registration withindividual records in the exclusion list managed by the online casino.

For example, data from an account in a casino management system isloaded, processed and updated by the online system and stored in memory,on disk or in a database. Attributes of the data is then used to matchthe external associated account with individual records in the exclusionlist managed by the online system.

In one aspect of this invention, registrations that match records in theexclusion list can trigger an ‘account review’ state, which notifies theoperator of the match. The operator then has the ability to allow ordeny the registration, based on the data collected by the system duringthe registration process and the exclusion list managed by the onlinesystem.

In one aspect of this invention, import, loading, update and managementof the exclusion list is done through a real-time interface between theonline system, jurisdictional regulators, the casino, the lottery orgaming establishment.

For example, a SOAP based interface may exist between the online systemand a system sitting in the office of a state regulator or the agencythat manages the state's problem gambling hotline. When an individual isadded to the exclusion list as managed by the system sitting in theoffice of the state regulator or the agency that manages the state'sproblem gambling hotline, that new record is transferred via theinterface to the online system. The online system recognizes thatreal-time transfer and stores the new record in the exclusion list inmemory, on disk or in a database.

User Managed Profile

In one aspect of this invention, the online system associates a dataprofile with the user account, using a unique identifier. The onlinesystem then provides a user interface or ‘GUI’ to enable the user theability to add, edit and manage data attributes associated with theprofile and user account.

For example, the user can add a profile photo by interacting with theuser interface and uploading a photo from their pc, pda, cell phone, orelectronic device.

In another example, the user can add generic profile data that can laterbe loaded for use by external associated accounts.

For example, the system would allow a casino player the ability to settheir on-property preferred preferences, such as preferred drink whenplaying, favorite restaurants, shows, preferred slot club hosts,preferred sports teams, etc. This data can then be loaded by theexternal casino management system or transferred to the casinomanagement system by the online system and be used to greatly enhancethe on-property experience and make it as comfortable as possible.Tailoring the experience to the player and making them as comfortable aspossible is critical in retaining customers and attracting new players.

As another example, player of a casino or lottery can pre-define gamingday “limits'. They can set limits per any quantum or delta, such as butnot limited to per visit, per session on a game device, per minute, perhour, per day, per week, per month or per year.

Registration, Storage and Management of Delivery Channels

In one aspect of the invention, delivery channels are stored by theonline system on disk or in a database and are associated with acombination of identifiers. These identifiers allow for the deliverychannels to be classified and subsequently retrieved by the onlinesystem when needed.

For example, a unique identifier is associated with the delivery channelto distinguish the delivery channel uniquely from other deliverychannels stored by the system. Other identifiers, such as but notlimited to delivery channel type, creation time, updated time,description, category, tags, keywords, size, url, domain name, emaillist address, forum name, administrator, administrator contact, andformat is also stored to allow for the delivery channel to beidentified. The online system may also associate the unique deliverychannel identifier with one or many unique content identifiers toindicate which content the delivery channel supports or allows.

In one aspect of this invention, delivery channels constitute any mediumby which data can be presented to a player.

For example, an email service provider, an email address, cell phonecarrier, cell phone number, and electronic billboards are deliverychannels. In other aspects of this invention, the delivery channelsidentified by the system can be an email service provider, an emailaddress, cell phone carrier, cell phone number, electronic billboard, aswell as but not limited to one, many or a combination of:

-   -   a. An email service provider    -   b. An email address    -   c. A phone carrier    -   d. A home phone number    -   e. A business phone number    -   f. An automated calling and telemarketing system        (“robo-dialing”)    -   g. A cell phone carrier    -   h. A cell phone number    -   i. An electronic billboard    -   j. Online advertising    -   k. Online advertising networks    -   l. A blog    -   m. A blog network    -   n. A Facebook page    -   o. A Facebook account    -   p. A MySpace page    -   q. A MySpace account    -   r. A Twitter page    -   s. A Twitter account    -   t. A billboard    -   u. A classified ad    -   v. A classified advertising network    -   w. An online classified advertising network    -   x. An advertising network    -   y. An advertising agency    -   z. A brochure    -   aa. A postcard    -   bb. A website    -   cc. A webpage    -   dd. A personal webpage that requires login by the user    -   ee. An electronic device    -   ff. A wireless device    -   gg. A wireless device running in a private network    -   hh. A usb based device    -   ii. A mobile phone    -   jj. A ‘PDA’ device    -   kk. A web browser    -   ll. A web browser ‘toolbar’    -   mm. A point-of-sale device    -   nn. A point-of-sale display    -   oo. A web application    -   pp. A ‘Flash’ application    -   qq. In game advertising    -   rr. ‘LED’ display    -   ss. Electronic billboard    -   tt. Electronic display    -   uu. Integrated electronic display    -   vv. Interactive electronic touch screen display    -   ww. Television    -   xx. Interactive Television

In one aspect of this invention, operators may be associated withdelivery channels, linked by unique identifiers and stored on disk, inmemory, or in a database.

For example, Lottery A may be associated with Email, SMS, Twitter andFacebook while Casino B may be associated with Email, Twitter andMySpace.

Registration, Storage and Management of Content

In one aspect of the invention, content is stored by the online systemon disk or in a database and is associated with one or a combination ofidentifiers. These identifiers allow the content to be classified andsubsequently retrieved by the system when needed.

For example, a unique identifier is associated with the content todistinguish the content uniquely from other content stored by thesystem. Other identifiers, such as but not limited to content type,creation time, updated time, description, category, tags, keywords, url,size, and format is also stored to allow for the content to beidentified. The online system may also associate the unique contentidentifier with one or many acceptable delivery channel identifiers toindicate which channels for which the content format is compatible anddeliverable. Different channels can also be associated with an order ofpreference. The content can be checked against the 1^(st) preferreddelivery channel to determine if delivery is appropriate, and if not thenext delivery channel can be checked and so on. Players can establishdesignations for each channel, in one example in a player profile, thatprovide for alternative delivery mechanisms as well as delivery throughmultiple channels

In another aspect of this invention, the content identified by thesystem is, but not limited to, static content.

For example, static content can be commonly described as text, htmlpages, graphics in common formats (jpg, gif, png, pic, bmp, raster,vector, etc), web pages, etc.

In another aspect of this invention, the content identified by thesystem is, but not limited to dynamic content.

For example, content may be user-specific personalized messages thatincluded data about the user, such as a birthday message that includethe user's first name and age. This data may be pre-generated as part ofa human-initiated process, or generated in real time by a set ofsoftware routines using data stored in memory, on disk or in a database.

In one aspect of this invention, a “template” language exists todescribe how particular user-specific data can be included in contentthat exists in memory, on disk or in a database.

For example, it can be appreciated by those who are skilled in the artthat there are many different ways to define replacement nomenclaturefor user-specific data. Character-based “tags” may be used to identifywhere in a document, for instance, a replacement may take place.Characters that can be used to delimit the starting and ending elementsof standard replacement “tags” can be, but are not limited to, braces,brackets, semicolons, namespaces and other character-based identifiers.An example where braces are used to define where user-specific data isreplaced for “first_name” can be “[replace:first_name]”.

In one aspect of this invention, the content can be an application thatruns on a personal computer, mobile application, script or “web-based”software application.

For example, content may be but not limited to an Adobe Flashapplication. In other aspects of this invention, the content identifiedby the system can be an Adobe Flash application, as well as but notlimited to one, many or a combination of:

-   -   a. Adobe PDF application    -   b. Web application    -   c. JavaScript application    -   d. “AJAX” application    -   e. HTML Application    -   f. WAP Application    -   g. MMS Application    -   h. SMS Application    -   i. iPhone Application    -   j. BREW Application    -   k. J2ME Application    -   l. J2EE Application    -   m. Java Application    -   n. PHP Application    -   o. Python Application    -   p. C/C++ Application    -   q. C# Application    -   r. Visual Basic Application    -   s. Microsoft .NET Application    -   t. Google Gears Application    -   u. Facebook Application    -   v. Compiled Application    -   w. Downloadable Application

In one aspect of this invention, the content identified by the systemis, but not limited to, an offer, voucher, or coupon. In other aspectsof this invention, the content identified by the system can be an offer,voucher or coupon, as well as but not limited to one, many or acombination of:

-   -   a. A text message    -   b. A HTML Message    -   c. An email    -   d. A SMS message    -   e. An offer    -   f. A voucher    -   g. A coupon    -   h. A barcode    -   i. An image    -   j. Questionnaire application    -   k. Quiz application    -   l. Personal Rewards Points display application    -   m. Personal Jackpot counters and displays (games played by the        player)    -   n. Generic Jackpot counters and displays (all games)    -   o. Personal and general sweepstakes status displays    -   p. Personal contest leader boards (contests engaged by the        player)    -   q. Generic contest leader boards (all contests)    -   r. Personal (targeted) and general calendar    -   s. Personal (targeted) advertising displays    -   t. Personal rewards calculator that indicates when rewards are        achieved next    -   u. Video display application    -   v. Video streaming application    -   w. Live video streaming application    -   x. Video conferencing application    -   y. Generic rewards calculator    -   z. Personal diary    -   aa. Personal room reservation information (status, price, etc)    -   bb. Room reservation application    -   cc. Personal event reservation and ticket information (status,        price, etc)    -   dd. Event reservations and ticket purchase application    -   ee. Travel reservation and ticket purchase information (status,        price, etc)    -   ff. Travel reservations and ticket purchase application

In one aspect of this invention, the content identified by the systemmay not reside on the online system but reside on a system external tothe online system. When content identified by the system resides on anexternal system, identifiers and instructions are stored on the onlinesystem that indicate how to identify, access, load and deliver thatcontent.

For example, content such as a game application, may reside on anexternal system's website. In this instance, the url, html embed tagcode and instructions for loading, launching and running the gameapplication are stored by the online system in memory, on disk or in adatabase.

Loading and Update of Account Data

In one aspect of this invention, user accounts are created and stored ina database. Once the process of creating these accounts is complete(e.g. as described above), additional external accounts can beassociated with the online user account and the id of the player, asrecognized by the casino management system. According to one embodiment,once the process of associating these additional external accounts iscomplete, data from these accounts can be loaded, processed and storedon the online system.

For example, a casino or lottery player club account can be associatedwith the user account and stored by the online system in memory, on diskor in a database. In another embodiment, once the account has beenassociated with the online system, the account credentials can then beused to load information from the external account.

In one aspect of this invention, the account credentials are used theload data through an interface established between the online system andthe system that manages the external account.

For example, a SOAP based interface can be used to request account databy the online system from a casino management system. When the casinomanagement system receives a request for data related to the externalaccount, the data is then transferred from the casino management systemto the online system, stored in memory, on disk, or in a database and isassociated with the online user account and the id of the player, asrecognized by the casino management system. Account data transferredfrom the casino management system to the online system can be, but isnot limited to, last gaming day, date of birth, status, points, assignedoffers, assigned coupons, personal calendar, favorite games, games mostplayed, player classification, player tier, first name, last name,gender and address. Any transfer of data though an interface between theonline system and the casino management system may include industrystandard and well accepted security measures to insure that the transferof the data is secure.

In one aspect of this invention, various different types of interfacesare provided to transfer, load, and process data.

For example, an “FTP” (File Transfer Protocol) module is provided as aninterface for the transfer, loading and processing of data. Protocols,systems, modules, applications and processes also provided as aninterface can be, but are not limited to:

a. A flat text file

b. An “FTP” (File Transfer Protocol) module

c. INI

d. XML

e. SOAP

f. TCP/IP

g. HTTP

h. HTTPS

i. A database

j. MYSQL DB

k. POSTGRESQL DB

l. ORACLE DB

m. DBASE

n. Progress DB

o. Access DB

p. A Relational Database

q. A hard disk drive

r. Electronic memory

s. Flash memory device

t. USB memory device

u. External memory device

v. CD-ROM disk

w. Floppy disk

x. Tape based magnetic medium

In one aspect of this invention, data loaded and processed from theseexternal accounts through an interface, can be periodically checked,loaded or updated to keep the data stored in the online system up todate with the data stored in the external account's management system.

For example, an interface request can be made by the online system to anexternal system, such as a casino management system, to request updateddata on a particular user id. Because the online system links onlineuser accounts to the id used by the casino management system to identifythe player in the casino management system, any requested data can beidentified, fetched and then transferred to the online system.

In one aspect of this invention, data loaded, processed and updated fromthese external accounts is done using a queuing system.

For example, the online system may identify, through some process (suchas user interaction, a schedule, or the change in other user accountidentifiers and attributes) that external account data needs to beupdated. The online system will then “queue” a request for that data ina list. Based on a pre-defined schedule or when the system can determinethere are adequate and available resources, the “queue” of requests isprocessed from first to last and the system initiates the necessaryrequests to the external account management system to update theexternal account data.

In one aspect of this invention, data loaded, processed and updated fromthese external accounts is done in real time.

For example, the online system may identify, through some process (suchas user interaction with the system) that external account data needs tobe updated. The online system will then initiate a request for that databy initiating the necessary requests to the external account managementsystem to update the external account data. In another example, dataloaded, processed or updated in real time can be used to prevent playersfrom exceeding gaming “limits” set by the player or by the onlinesystem. As an external account system (casino management system orlottery point of sale) is monitoring play by a player on a gamingdevice, it can transfer the amount of credit purchased or bet by theplayer within a particular delta, such as minute, hour, day, week,month, as each transaction takes place. The online system then has theability to do one, multiple or a combination of, but not limited to, thefollowing actions:

-   -   a. Deliver message content to the device display informing the        player that they have exceeded their pre-set limit.    -   b. Deliver application content to the device to require the        player to agree, but pressing performing a sequence of device        inputs, that they are exceeding their pre-set limit on each        subsequent bet    -   c. Shut of or “hold” any external or associated account        connected to cashless wagering (such as player card, debit card,        credit card or ATM card).    -   d. Deliver message content to the device to display that the        casino is being notified that they have exceeded their pre-set        limit.    -   e. Notify the operator that the player has exceeded their limit    -   f. Notify any pre-set “contacts”; people indicated by the player        who should be contacted in the event their pre-set limit has        exceeded.    -   g. Inform the external system to limit and block additional play

In one aspect of this invention, data loaded, processed and updated fromthese external accounts is initiated by the external account managementsystem.

For example, through some process as determined by the external accountmanagement system, data is transferred to the online system through aninterface. This data can be transferred in “batch”, meaning multiplerecords at a time, or in real time per-user-account.

In one aspect of this invention, how data will be loaded, processed andupdated from these external accounts is stored in memory, on disk or ina database.

For example, casino management system “A” may only allow data to beloaded, processed and updated by it initiating a connection to theonline system's FTP component and it transferring that data in a “batch”format. In another example, casino management system “B” may prefer datato be transferred in real time, using a SOAP protocol, with requests fordata being initiated by the online system.

In one aspect of this invention, data associated with the user accounton the online system may be valuable to the system that manages theexternal account, requiring that the online system update the externalaccount management system on a periodic basis.

For example, the online system may associate gaming-day “limits” withthe online user account. For the sake of this example, these “limits”are numerical values that describe the absolute maximum amount of moneythe user wishes to be allowed to gamble within any particular 24 hourperiod. The gaming-day “limits” may be indicated by the user or by thesystem based on other data associated with the user account, such asinclusion on a problem gambling list, user debt data, orjurisdictionally imposed rules and regulations. Based on a schedule orother process, the online system uses an interface to establish aconnection with, for example, a casino management system. Based on theid stored in the online system and recognized by the casino managementsystem as linking the player to a player account record, the onlinesystem submits the updated data associated with the online user account.For the sake of this example, the gaming-day “limits” are transferredfrom the online system to the casino management system, stored andassociated with the player account records, as indicated by the idstored in the online system and recognized by the casino managementsystem as linking the player to the player account record.

Processing of Account Data

In one aspect of this invention, user accounts are created and stored ina database. External accounts can be associated with the online useraccount and the id of the player, as recognized by the casino managementsystem. Data from these external accounts can be loaded, processed andstored on the online system. Once stored on the online system, either inmemory, on disk or in a database, the online system can then process thedata based on the format and amount of data stored on the externalaccount.

For example, the external account can be a player account in a casinomanagement system. Once the player account is associated with the onlineaccount, the system can then process particular attributes of theexternal account, such as but not limited to last gaming day, number ofvisits to the property, amount spent per visit, all games played, allgaming days, etc. The system can process the account by either using theaccount credentials indicated by the user to log into the accountthrough an interface that would normally be available to players,through an API (Application Programming Interface) provided by thecasino management system, or through a different interface, such as aXML, SOAP, or TCP/IP interface. The data extracted and processed canthen be stored on the online system, either in memory, on disk or in adatabase and subsequently used to indicate and record user preference,such as likes, dislikes, gaming affinities, value as a player, as wellas frequency of gaming.

In another example, the external account can be a Facebook account. Oncethe Facebook account is associated with the online account, the systemcan then process particular attributes of the external account, such asbut not limited to friends the account is associated to, groups theaccount belongs to, text in the posts related to account status updates,etc. The system can process the account by either using the accountcredentials indicated by the user to log into the account, or through anAPI (Application Programming Interface) provided by the external accountmanagement system. The data extracted and processed can then be storedon the online system, either in memory, on disk or in a database andsubsequently used to indicate and record user preferences, such aslikes, dislikes, brand affinities, travel destinations, most discussedtopics, as well as demographic information.

Loading, Updating, Processing and Management of External Data

In one aspect of this invention, data external to the online system canbe loaded, processed, stored and managed by the online system. This datacan then be used by this system in various aspects described by thisinvention, such as content management, eligibility and delivery.

For example, progressive jackpots are used in both the casino andlottery industry. The online system can load, process and manageprogressive jackpot data that is provided through a common interface.Once the data has been processed, thresholds for progressive jackpotvalues can be set by users and stored as attributes of their userprofiles. The system can recognize that a threshold specified by a userand stored as an attribute of their profile, has been reached. Thesystem can then make that user eligible to receive an email notifyingthem of this event and then delivery that email.

In one aspect of this invention, data associated with a particulardelivery channel is loaded and stored in the online system.

For example, advertising schedules related to radio advertising can bestored and managed by the system.

In one aspect of this invention, data associated with particularreal-time delivery channels, networks, systems and devices, is loadedand stored in the system.

For example, modern technology allows for various network attributes andconsumer-level devices, such as home PCs, USB devices, PDAs, ipaddresses and cell phones, to determine the user's geo-location. Thisdata can be loaded, processed and updated by the system and stored inmemory, on disk or in a database. Once managed by the system,geo-location can be used in various aspects of the system, such ascontent eligibility, content delivery, as well as gating user access tothe system.

In one aspect of this invention, geo-location can be used to gate useraccess to the system.

For example, once geo-location is loaded, stored and managed by thesystem, that data can be used to determine whether or not the user isallowed to register for or access a user account.

Content Eligibility

In one aspect of this invention, all users who have the capacity toreceive or view content that is stored in the system, must be recordedas being ‘eligible’ to receive or view that content. User eligibilitycan be stored by the system in memory, on disk or in a database.

For example, if a user is to receive an offer or coupon through aparticular delivery channel, they must be marked as eligible to receivethat particular offer or coupon.

Shown in FIG. 6 is a logic flow associated with determining eligibilityfor content driven by measurable activities linked to player identity.At 602, measureable activities (e.g. on property play, webparticipation, content viewed/clicked etc, redemption of points,behavior, visits frequency purchases, etc.) are tracked by a contentdelivery system. The measurable activities are uniquely associated witha particular player identify at 604. The association can be determinedfrom, for example, web profiles, player club account, Facebook profile,phone number, credit card number, address, amongst other information.The system provides for content delivery at 606 to the identifiedplayers and may further provide for customization of content on thebasis of content display at 608. For example, scaling can be performedto tailor delivered content to the delivery channel being employed. Inone aspect of this invention, eligibility to receive or view content isdefined by characteristics of the user's profile. For example, currentlatitude and longitude are two possible attributes of the user'sprofile. Based on these two attributes, the system can determineeligibility based on the current geo-location of the user. The systemcan also use these two attributes to determine the user's currentposition in relation to a point of sale. For instance, if the user iswithin 10 miles of a lottery point of sale, the system can make the usereligible for an SMS-based coupon for ‘1 free $2 scratch ticket’.

In one aspect of this invention, eligibility to receive or view contentis defined by characteristics of the user's profile scored throughpredictive analytics, regression tests, behavioral analysis, and/orpreferences indicated by the user.

For example, a user registering with the online system may not have anexternal associated account. In this case, predictive analytics is usedto determine the best coupon to present to the user to incentivizeredemption at the point of sale.

In one aspect of this invention, eligibility to receive or view contentis defined by characteristics of the user's profile, data loaded,processed and updated from one or many external associated accounts, orboth.

For example, a casino management system may associate a gaming ‘tier’ toa player record that indicates the value of that player to the casino.Once a user account is created in the online system, the player accountin the casino management system is registered as an associated externalaccount and the account data associated with the external account hasbeen loaded and processed by the online system, the gaming ‘tier’ can beused to indicate eligibility for a particular user or set of users toreceive and view content stored by the system. Other examples of userprofile characteristics that can be used to determine eligibility toreceive or view content are:

-   -   a. Player Tier    -   b. Player demographics    -   c. Distance from a particular geo-location    -   d. Gaming affinities    -   e. Previous interaction online or at property

In one aspect of this invention, eligibility to receive or view contentis defined by jurisdictionally imposed gaming rules and regulations.

For example, a gaming jurisdiction may have regulations related to thetype of marketing materials particular individuals can received. Somejurisdictions may impose rules that say marketing materials related togaming cannot be sent to individuals that have previously be registeredon a problem gambling exclusion list.

In another example, a gaming jurisdiction may have regulations thatindividuals can only receive a particular amount of free slot playduring a given month. The system will then record the amount of freeslot play delivered, receive and redeemed by the player and then usethat information to manage the eligibility for the delivery of futurefree slot play coupons to the player.

In one aspect of this invention, eligibility to receive or view contentis defined by a set of rules.

For example, some content may require the user to opt-in for the receiptof that content. A rule can dictate that all users that have notopted-in to receive a particular set of content are not eligible toreceive that content. A user may have opted-in to receive progressivejackpot alerts via email when the jackpot reaches a particularthreshold, as defined by the user during or after account registrationand associated with their user account in the system.

In one aspect of this invention, eligibility to receive or view contentis defined by the receipt or view of previously delivered content.

For example, if previously delivered content, such as a coupon or offer,has been viewed, printed and redeemed within pre-defined period of time,a user may be made eligible for a subsequent set of coupons or offers.

In one aspect of this invention, eligibility to receive or view contentis defined by a fixed schedule.

For example, a general calendar of events at a gaming establishment mayhave Double Points Tuesday every Tuesday between July 1^(st) andSeptember 1^(st). Thus, users are made eligible to receive or viewcontent advertising “Double Points Tuesday” during and around thatperiod of time, as defined by a schedule.

In one aspect of this invention, eligibility is defined by a matrix,sequence and schedule that can associate user actions, external eventsand interactions to eligibility for one, many or a combination ofcontent elements.

For example, the operator can define that for ‘tier 1’ players, if theyview and then redeem a ‘$20 in free slot play coupon’ within 24 hours ofreceiving the coupon, then they are made eligible for a ‘free buffetcoupon’. If the ‘free buffet coupon’ is redeemed within a 1 week periodand the player subsequently spends more than $100 on the proper duringthe visit in which that coupon is redeemed, then the player is madeeligible for a ‘$50 free slot play coupon’.

In one aspect of this invention, eligibility is fixed and hard-coded bythe operator of the online system, based on a unique identifier that canidentify the user account or by a unique identifier that can identify arelated external account.

For example, the operator of a casino can set eligibility based on theusername set by the player during registration with the online system orbased on the id used by the casino management system to uniquelyidentify player.

In one aspect of this invention, eligibility is based on previousinteraction online or at the gaming establishment.

For example, previous interactions with a particular gaming machine thathas a progressive jackpot can make the user eligible to receive jackpotemail and SMS alerts for that particular gaming title. Previousinteractions online or at the gaming establishment may be defined as,but not limited to:

-   -   a. Groups that player belongs to online    -   b. Websites frequented    -   c. Social networks    -   d. Games played in the past online    -   e. Games played at the property    -   f. Events attended    -   g. Travel

In one aspect of this invention, a user interface or ‘GUI’ is providedto enable the operator of the online system the ability to managedelivery eligibility.

Selection of Content Type for Delivery

In one aspect of this invention, content is selected by the system fordelivery to particular users within the system based on a list ofavailable content, events and a list of eligible recipients, stored inmemory, on disk or in a database.

For example, the system may query the database for a list of eligiblerecipients for a coupon or offer to be delivered by the system.

In one aspect of this invention, content is selected by the system fordelivery to particular users within the system based on an eventexternal to the system.

For example, the system is monitoring progressive jackpots on the gamingproperty and the jackpot has exceeded $10,000. The system may query thedatabase for a list of eligible recipients for a progressive jackpotalerts. Based on users who have “opted-in” to receive alerts when thejackpot exceeds $10,000, the system then selects the appropriate contentrelated to the progressive jackpot alert for that game, makes theappropriate users eligible to receive that content and then prepares itfor delivery to these users.

As another example, the system is monitoring the value of a “MegaMillions” or “Powerball” lottery jackpot and the jackpot has exceeded$10,000,000. Based on users who have “opted-in” to receive alerts whenthe jackpot exceeds $10,000,000, the system then selects the appropriatecontent related to the progressive jackpot alert for that game, makesthe appropriate users eligible to receive that content and then preparesit for delivery to these users. In one aspect of this invention, contentis selected by the system for delivery to a particular user within thesystem based on an event related to the user's profile.

For example, the date of birth associated with a user record canindicate that today is the user's birthday. The system then selects the‘birthday’ coupon for delivery to the user.

Scaling and Pre-Rendering Content for Delivery

In one aspect of this invention, content is scaled and pre-rendered toprepare that content for delivery in one, many or a combination ofdelivery channels.

For example, an image may contain text but in raster form. The text isextracted from the image and rendered as a character-based text file tobe compatible for delivery to an SMS device.

In one aspect of this invention, content is scaled and pre-rendered toprepare that content for delivery, based on channel attributes.

For example, a delivery channel is stored in the system and an image isbeing prepared for delivery in that channel. Attributes related toacceptable image width and height are stored and associated to thatdelivery channel as an attribute of the delivery channel. The image islarger than the acceptable width and height stored as an attribute ofthe channel, so the system then scales that image accordingly.

In one aspect of this invention, 3 d content can be scaled andpre-rendered in 2 d to support channels and devices that do not support3 d content.

In another aspect this invention, content is scaled and pre-rendered toprepare that content for delivery, based on a destination device,network or application.

For example, a cell phone may only accept a specific SMS characterlimit. So, the system scales a coupon's messaging to fit within thatcharacter display limit. Other examples of devices, networks orapplication for which content can be scaled and pre-rendered, but notlimited to the following devices, networks or applications:

-   -   a. Cellphone    -   b. PDA    -   c. Webpage    -   d. Flash application    -   e. Email client    -   f. SMS device    -   g. Online Competition    -   h. Multiplayer Online World    -   i. Slot-top electronic display    -   j. Slot machine display with touch screen display

Delivery of Content

In one aspect of this invention, content is delivered through a channeland or to an eligible user once that content has been selected, scaledand pre-rendered for delivery.

For example, a player visits a casino's website and logs in to theiruser account using the account credentials they indicated during accountregistration with the system. For the sake of this example, they arelogging into a delivery channel identified by the system as the‘personal player page’. Also in this example, account credentials can beindicators such as email address and password to gate access to the‘personal player page’ and determine which user for which the page willbe rendered. Once the account indicators have and authenticated, thesystem then checks for content that he user is eligible to receivethrough the ‘personal player page’ channel. For the sake of thisexample, the player is eligible for a personalized ‘general manager'sletter’, offers, a personalized calendar, jackpot meters and a graphicaldisplay of the number of loyalty points they have associated with theiraccount. The system then prepares the content the user is eligible for,does any required scaling and pre-rendering of the content for deliveryto the player and then delivers the content to the ‘personal playerpage’ channel by rendering the page.

As an additional example, if according to the system the player iseligible to receive an offer and coupon for $20 in free slot playthrough the ‘personal player page’ channel, the content for an offer andcoupon is fetched from the system, scaled and pre-rendered for deliveryand then delivered to the player through the rendering of the personalweb page.

In one aspect of this invention, a user interface or ‘GUI’ is providedto the operator for management of content delivery.

Effective Channel Selection for Delivery

In one aspect of this invention, delivery of content through a one, manyor a combination of delivery channels can be determined by the systembased on a variety of events, factors and/or attributes.

In one embodiment, channel selection can be based on personalpreference, either dictated by the user or based on preference derivedfrom the loading and processing external associated accounts.

For example, a during online account registration a user may indicatethat they prefer to receive offers and event information from a casinoexclusively through their email and SMS accounts. In one embodiment, thesystem and/or external systems can determine an appropriate channelbased, at least in part, on external information. For example,geo-location systems can indicate that a player's location is changing,suggesting the player is accessing content from a mobile location.Delivery to the player's cell phone can be made the primary deliverymechanism for this circumstance. Selected delivery channel can beadjusted based, at least in part, on location determination. In oneexample, eligible content can include content for casino's and/orlottery locations in Las Vegas and Atlantic City. Geo-locationinformation indicates that the player is in Las Vegas, therefore, thecontent delivered can be filtered to exclude content associated withAtlantic City.

In one aspect of this invention, the system may track engagement withpreviously delivered content and determine that channel selection can bebased on the success of previous engagement with that delivered content.

For example, the system can track that coupons delivered through emailhave a far greater percentage and frequency of redemption than couponsdelivered through Facebook. This measurement is then stored in memory,on disk or in a database and associated with the user account that wasdelivered the content.

In one aspect of this invention, channel selection may be based on userprofile elements.

For example, the user profile is associated to an account in a casinomanagement system. Based on the loading, processing and updating of thisexternal account data, as described above, the system can identify whena player is playing a particular game in a gaming establishment. Thesystem can select the gaming machine they are playing at as the deliverychannel for an application that will render ‘200 credits in onlineBonusPlay coupon’ with instructions on how they may print that coupon.

In one aspect of this invention, channel selection may be based off ofexternal associated accounts.

For example, a user may have an account with a credit card that offerstravel rewards. Once this account has been identified by the onlinesystem as being associated to the user, offers and coupons for thegaming establish may be delivered through channels provided by thecredit card management system, such as email blasts sent on a monthlybasis to an email address associated with the credit card.

In one aspect of this invention, channel selection may be hard-coded bythe operator.

For example, the operator may select that they want all ‘$20 free slotplay’ coupons to be exclusively delivered via email.

In one aspect of this invention, channel selection may be based on aschedule.

For example, the operator may select that they want all ‘$20 free slotplay’ coupons to be delivered via email on Tuesdays and Thursdays andvia SMS all other days.

In one aspect of this invention, channel selection may be based on a setof rules related to one, many or a combination of delivery channels andthe content to be delivered in that channel.

For example, Google does not allow the delivery and display ofadvertising related to the gaming aspect of a casino or lottery, butwill allow advertisements for hotel rooms, events and resorts. Thesystem can recognize this and not deliver advertising related to thegaming aspects of a casino or lottery through channels related to oroperated by Google.

In one aspect of this invention, channel selection may be based onjurisdictionally imposed rules and regulations.

For example, a specific gaming jurisdiction may impose a rule that onlyallows gaming establishments the ability to deliver free slot playthrough post cards and personal web pages, but not through email, SMS,Twitter, Facebook, etc. The system can recognize this and only deliverfree slot play through channels related to post cards and personal webpages.

In one aspect of this invention, channel selection is based on a scriptthat dictates a sequence of channels and content to be delivered inthose channels.

For example, the operator may want to script a set of offers to bedelivered to a player over time, but may not want all of the offers tobe delivered through the same delivery channel. Thus, they can create ascript that is interpreted by the system to dictate the channels to beused by the system for delivery of offers over time. For example, offer‘A’ is delivered through email on Monday and then offer ‘B’ is deliveredthrough SMS on Thursday of the same week.

In one aspect of this invention, a user interface or ‘GUI’ is providedto the operator for management of channel selection.

Measuring Deliverability and Receipt of Content Delivered

In one aspect of this invention, the online system measures thedeliverability of the content delivered, the delivery channel and thereceipt of that content.

For example, the system delivers a ‘$20 in free slot play’ HTML emailmessage to a particular channel, such as a user's email address. If thereceiving email server does not exist or if the server exists and itresponds to the online system that it was unable to deliver the emaildue to a non-existent email address, the system stores this information.The email address as a channel for content delivery is marked as invalidby storing a state in memory, on disk or in a database and associatingthat state to the user account record and the delivery channel. Thisstate can then be used when the system is determining effective deliverychannels for content.

In another example, the content being delivered may have a higherdeliver rate within one, many or a combination of channels than othercontent being delivered.

For example, a text email message may be measured by the system hashaving a higher rate of opens and views by users than HTML emailmessages. The system stores this as a state in memory, on disk or in adatabase and associates that state to the content being delivered, theuser and/or the channel used for delivery.

Tracking Engagement with Delivered Content

In one aspect of this invention, unique identifiers are used toassociate the online account with external associated accounts, such asplayer accounts that exit in a casino management system. These uniqueidentifiers are used to then track engagement with content delivered toa user of the online system.

In one example, an html email is delivered to a user of the onlinesystem. Common interfaces and methods are used, such as ‘trackingpixel’, to determine that the email is opened. The ‘url’ to a webpage isincluded in the email. Tracking ‘urls’ can be used to determine that the‘url’ included in the email was clicked by the user. The system canmeasure the amount of time between when the email was ‘opened’ and whenthe tracking ‘url’ was clicked. This time can be stored in memory, ondisk or in a database and associated to the user and the content,delivery channel for later analysis and use. Tracking pixels andtracking urls can be used to measure engagement, as well other methods.These methods can include tracking pixels and tracking urls, but alsocan include, as but not be limited to:

a. Urls

b. Urls clicked

c. Web pages visited

d. Tracking pixels

e. Tracking urls

f. Javascript embedded in web pages

g. Flash applications embedded in web pages

h. Scan of player card id by a device or system

i. Scan of coupon connected to online user or player card id

j. Use of credit card associated with online account at a gamingestablishment

k. Scan of player card at gaming device

l. Data collected by third-partying applications, networks and devices

Tracking of Subsequent and Related Actions

In one aspect of this invention, the system tracks engagement throughand across one, many or a combination of content, delivery channels andcalculates the best and most successful combination and sequence.

For example, the system may track the engagement and subsequent actionstaken by the player, starting with a particular coupon delivered tousers through text emails versus coupon delivered to users throughTwitter or Facebook. The system then stores the results of that trackingin memory, on disk or in a database for use in determining effectivechannel delivery, or other analysis and use.

In one aspect of this invention, the online system uses data loaded,processed from external associated accounts to track subsequent andrelated actions.

For example, there is a significant amount of rich data that can bederived from point-of-sale systems and transactions related to theonline user and/or external associated accounts.

The system can determine retail purchase habits by linking theredemption of a sweepstakes coupon at specific retailer. If a creditcard used in the same transaction or visit, that can also be stored bythe online system to extract further data about purchase history,affinities and habits.

In one aspect of this invention, the online system in integrated withthird party networks, applications and devices to enable the onlinesystem to track subsequent and related actions taken by a user.

For example, it is common for systems such produced and managed byTravelClick, Ticketmaster, Expedia, Bally, IGT, Aristocrat, WMS, Konami,GTECH, Scientific Games, or systems such as lottery ‘on-line’, scratchticket, retail point of sale (POS), coupon redemption, promotionalmanagement, player tracking and hotel/travel booking engines to offerinterfaces to extract and measure user engagement with their systems.Data related to this engagement can be loaded, processed and associatedto user accounts in the online system, based on unique identifiersstored in the online system and the external systems. In addition,content delivered through Twitter vs. content delivered through emailmay be tracked as follows:

Message Sent Via Twitter:

-   -   Player engaged, clicked on url    -   Logs into website, identifies as player    -   Interacts with coupon    -   Prints coupon    -   Player visits casino within 2 weeks    -   Redeems coupon    -   Plays game, spends $20

Message Sent Via Email

-   -   Email viewed    -   Player visits casino within 24 hrs    -   Swipes card, redeems offer    -   Plays game, spend $100

Per this example, the system records the various attributes and datapoints related to the engagement with the content and subsequent andconnection events and actions. Attributes such as action, events,sequence of actions, time of events and the time deltas between eventsare tracked. These attributes are then stored in memory, on disk or in adatabase and associated with the content delivered, the channel used fordelivery and the user. These can be used to measure and indicate themost effective content, delivery channel and path/sequence of events.

Illustrated in FIG. 7 is one example calculation of an engagement scorebased on tracked information associated with content delivery andredemption. At 702 a frequency is determined for a particular offerbased on tracked data. At 704 data associated with the number of timesthe content/offer was viewed is calculated, the frequency foracceptances and/or printing calculated at 706, the frequency forredemption (e.g. swiped card, scanned coupon to redeem) calculated at708, and any money spent as the result of those actions tracked at 710.The various frequencies can be reduced to a probability factored with anamount of money that was spent as a result of the redemption todetermine an engagement score. The engagement score can then be used totailor how the system presents content, selects delivery channels, amongother options.

In one aspect of this invention, the online system has external devices,applications and process to manage the redemption of coupons and offersdelivered by the system. These external devices, applications andprocesses are connected to the online system through a public or privatedata network. For example, the online system can have an external devicethat attaches to a computer which is also attached to the publicinternet. The device also has a software application that runs on aserver and interfaces with the device through a web browser. Aninterface exists between the device, the computer, the browser and thepublic internet. This device has an integrated bar code scanner and whencoupons delivered by the online system are scanned by this device, theonline system is signaled through the interface for the redemption ofthe coupon. This allows the system to achieve complete end-to-endtracking without the need for data from an external or connectedaccount.

In one aspect of this invention, the online system has a softwareapplication or device that runs on or interfaces with a casinomanagement system, networked gaming system, ‘on-line’ lottery system,retail point-of-sale, gaming machine, hand-held device, cell phone orpda. This software application or device then can manage differentaspects of data transfer, content delivery recognition, couponredemption and data collection for the online system.

For example, a slot machine running on the floor of the casino ismanaged by a networked gaming system. The online system has an externalapplication that is built and configured to operate on the networkedgaming system. The application can the track play on the slot machineand report that tracked play to the online system, using a uniqueidentifier to indicate the user playing at the slot machine.

For another example, the online system has an external application thatis build and configured to operate on an iPhone. The application canthen solicit data from the user and transfer to the online system. Theapplication can also operate as a device-specific element for themanagement of content being delivered to the user, through the iPhone.

In one aspect of this invention, the system can analyze attributes ofengagement to determine efficiencies. For example, based on analysis ofattribute data, it can be reported that coupons that can be redeemeddirectly at specific gaming devices result in a higher spend per visit.So, the gaming establishment may decide to focus more of their marketingefforts on coupons that are redeemable at specific gaming devices.

Various embodiments of system and methods for managing interactive userengagement include the elements recited below, individually, incombination, and in any combination of the individual elements.

-   -   Player identification    -   Uniquely identify player    -   Creation of player account    -   Created with an online system—trigger search for player at        player at External Accounts (include CMS systems, player's club        accounts, Facebook, . . . lists)    -   Questionnaire—relationships with external establishments    -   Initial creation—    -   Rely on player provided info    -   Scan computer system for cookies, browse history, target        additional search outside of info provided    -   Dynamically aggregate web usage/profile and trigger subsequent        External Account checks    -   Co-generation of External Account    -   Trigger based on internal account creation    -   Creation of CMS account and internal account responsive to        external account (e.g., an Internet-based account)    -   Player Account includes Player Profile    -   Player Account/Player profile can be scored    -   Scoring details    -   Dynamically update player profile based on demographic        information (browse activity, dob, game preference, etc.),        activity on/off property, online/offline behavior, preferences        indicated by the player    -   Player Account/Profile can be configured to control Content and        Channel Delivery    -   In particular—Gaming Limitation pre-generated by player    -   Jurisdictional Limitation Associated with Player Profile    -   Absolute limit on gambling activity for above        -   Stop loss at 50$/day hour etc.        -   Day/Weekend target $1000 max loss    -   Identify propensities based on comparison to reference data        collected from other players    -   Collection of Demographic Information from Our Account and From        External Account Sources    -   Questionnaires, Query external account sources, provide        interface between Our account and external sources    -   Entry of external account credentials (user name sign-on etc)    -   Cookie retrieval to target additional external sources    -   Identify player population    -   Use in association with not completely identified player(s)    -   Generate unique player record that can become uniquely tied to        player    -   Update Player Records    -   Periodically poll/pull/push request data    -   Queue updates    -   Batch processing    -   Establish triggers configured to push data changes    -   Identify deltas update accordingly    -   Push Data change information to External Accounts    -   Establish triggers to pass updated information to External        Sources    -   Bi-Directional Information Flow    -   Channel Management    -   Associated delivery channels with player, player account, player        profile    -   Delivery Channel includes cell phone, email, web page, Facebook        . . . etc.—any perceptible medium for delivering information    -   Create unique channel identifier    -   Classify delivery channel    -   Establish Channel Profile/Classify Delivery Channel    -   Record characteristics of delivery mechanism    -   Text address—Text only delivery    -   Multimedia delivery—capable of receiving media files    -   Device profiles    -   Optimize content delivery characteristics for cell phone;        laptop; computer; mobile device; physical Display        characteristics    -   Filtering Rules    -   Prohibit content for Channel, etc.    -   Preferred Channel/Effective Channel Selection—    -   Channel defined by user    -   Channel defined by Operator    -   Channel defined by Content Provider    -   Channel dynamically assigned based on profile analysis    -   Channel dynamically assigned based on behavior analysis    -   ROI calculation    -   Predective ROI calculation    -   Effective Channel Selection    -   Dynamically assigned based on profile and behavior    -   Authentication mechanisms    -   Historical Information on Channel Engagement    -   Track actual conversion/success of delivery    -   Track timing of conversion/success    -   Using both determine Delivery Channel(s)    -   Content Management    -   Associate content with Delivery Channel    -   Determine eligibility to receive Content    -   Associate Content with Identifiers/Content Profile    -   Use Identifiers to Classify    -   User Identifiers to retrieve content    -   Content Delivery Mechanism    -   Selected by user, operator, provider, dynamically determined    -   Set preferred channel    -   Set required channel    -   Set plurality of channels    -   Establish Delivery Triggers    -   Notification alerts    -   Packaging Content/Delivery Content    -   Alter/Refine Content based on Delivery Channel Identified    -   Scaling content to delivery channel profile    -   Scale to device profile    -   Translate Content to Delivery Channel/Channel Profile    -   Eligibility    -   Eligibility Threshold    -   Can be as little as: player from (town)        -   For example, statistics tell us player's from Town gamble a            lot    -   Opt-in    -   Player Scoring tie in, Player tiering,    -   Eligibility for particular content can be scaled based on player        value, and/or specific player characteristics (e.g. relationship        with specific external account)    -   Scaling can occur on any demographic    -   Eligibility may also be governed by defined limits    -   Player established limits in profile    -   Jurisdictional limits generically    -   Multi level Eligibility    -   First tier content    -   Second tier content only accessible after First tier access        and/or completion    -   Eligibility based on behavioral tracking, analysis, prediction    -   Define Eligibility Matrix    -   Tracking of Engagement    -   Track and defined metrics for deliverability    -   Success rate of delivery channel    -   Adaptive selection of delivery channel based on tracked data    -   Success rates    -   State based tracking    -   Active, Inactive, Dead, live, etc.    -   Success rate of content    -   Matching content to player appropriately    -   Player accesses content—success    -   Activity performed associated with content—success    -   Redemption tracking    -   Access tracking    -   Timing information    -   Associated Actions tracking    -   Robots for scraping pages    -   Update Player Profile/Channel Profile based on tracked        engagement information    -   Path-based engagement, evaluating sequences of engagement paths        based on parameters (e.g., ROI) to determine effective        engagement paths that can be applied to current player or other        players (e.g., ones having similar profiles)

Various embodiments according to the present invention may beimplemented on one or more computer systems. These computer systems maybe, for example, general-purpose computers such as those based on IntelAtom, Core, or PENTIUM-type processor, IBM PowerPC, AMD Athlon orOpteron, Sun UltraSPARC, or any other type of processor. It should beappreciated that one or more of any type computer system may be used tomanage interactive user engagement, manage and deliver content, trackengagement, calculate player value, dynamically determine a deliverychannel, communication content, and customize content based on selectedcommunication channel according to various embodiments of the invention.Further, the system may be located on a single computer or may bedistributed among a plurality of computers attached by a communicationsnetwork.

A general-purpose computer system according to one embodiment of theinvention is configured to perform any of the described operationsand/or algorithms, including but not limited to providing for managementof content, display of a user interface to enter external and/or onlineaccount information, register for external and/or online accounts,manage user preference information, manage user identity information,identify content uniquely, indentify content delivery channels uniquely,automatically select an optimal delivery channel, calculate return oninvestment for a delivery path, among other options. It should beappreciated, however, that the system may perform other operationsand/or algorithms, including operations for registration, storage andmanagement of accounts, associating accounts with online and externalaccounts, managing exclusions, imposing jurisdictional regulations onplayer activity, providing user profiles, permitting users to managetheir profiles, register, store and manage delivery channels andcontent, determining eligibility to receive and/or view content, scalingcontent for a delivery channel, measuring deliverability, trackingengagement with delivered content, and tracking subsequent and relatedactions, etc. The operations and/or algorithms described herein can alsobe encoded as software executing on hardware that define a processingcomponent, that can define portions of a specially configured generalpurpose computer, reside on an individual general purpose computer,and/or reside on multiple general purpose computers.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of a general-purpose computer system 900 inwhich various aspects of the present invention can be practiced. Forexample, various aspects of the invention can be implemented asspecialized software executing in one or more computer systems includinggeneral-purpose computer systems 1104, 1106, and 1108 communicating overnetwork 1102 shown in FIG. 11. Computer system 900 may include aprocessor 906 connected to one or more memory devices 910, such as adisk drive, memory, or other device for storing data. Memory 910 istypically used for storing programs and data during operation of thecomputer system 900. Components of computer system 900 can be coupled byan interconnection mechanism 908, which may include one or more busses(e.g., between components that are integrated within a same machine)and/or a network (e.g., between components that reside on separatediscrete machines). The interconnection mechanism enables communications(e.g., data, instructions) to be exchanged between system components ofsystem 900.

Computer system 900 may also include one or more input/output (I/O)devices 904, for example, a keyboard, mouse, trackball, microphone,touch screen, a printing device, display screen, speaker, etc. Storage912, typically includes a computer readable and writeable nonvolatilerecording medium in which signals are stored that define a program to beexecuted by the processor or information stored on or in the medium tobe processed by the program.

The medium may, for example, be a disk 1002 or flash memory as shown inFIG. 10. Typically, in operation, the processor causes data to be readfrom the nonvolatile recording medium into another memory 1004 thatallows for faster access to the information by the processor than doesthe medium. This memory is typically a volatile, random access memorysuch as a dynamic random access memory (DRAM) or static memory (SRAM).

Referring again to FIG. 9, the memory can be located in storage 912 asshown, or in memory system 910. The processor 906 generally manipulatesthe data within the memory 910, and then copies the data to the mediumassociated with storage 912 after processing is completed. A variety ofmechanisms are known for managing data movement between the medium andintegrated circuit memory element and the invention is not limitedthereto. The invention is not limited to a particular memory system orstorage system.

The computer system may include specially-programmed, special-purposehardware, for example, an application-specific integrated circuit(ASIC). Aspects of the invention can be implemented in software,hardware or firmware, or any combination thereof. Although computersystem 900 is shown by way of example as one type of computer systemupon which various aspects of the invention can be practiced, it shouldbe appreciated that aspects of the invention are not limited to beingimplemented on the computer system as shown in FIG. 9. Various aspectsof the invention can be practiced on one or more computers having adifferent architectures or components than that shown in FIG. 9.

It should be appreciated that the invention is not limited to executingon any particular system or group of systems. Also, it should beappreciated that the invention is not limited to any particulardistributed architecture, network, or communication protocol.

Various embodiments of the invention can be programmed using anobject-oriented programming language, such as Java, C++, Ada, or C#(C-Sharp). Other object-oriented programming languages may also be used.Alternatively, functional, scripting, and/or logical programminglanguages can be used. Various aspects of the invention can beimplemented in a non-programmed environment (e.g., documents created inHTML, XML or other format that, when viewed in a window of a browserprogram, render aspects of a graphical-user interface (GUI) or performother functions). The system libraries of the programming languages areincorporated herein by reference. Various aspects of the invention canbe implemented as programmed or non-programmed elements, or anycombination thereof.

Various aspects of this invention can be implemented by one or moresystems similar to system 900. For instance, the system can be adistributed system (e.g., client server, multi-tier system) comprisingmultiple general-purpose computer systems. In one example, the systemincludes software processes executing on a system associated withregistering a user for an online and/or external account, interfaceprocesses for tying the online and external systems together,co-generation of user account accounts on an online and external accountsystem. These systems may permit the end users to access content in datalocally or may permit remote access to content in data, the end users,for example, can employ a web browser to access content for which theyare eligible, access a web page to redeem content, among otheroperations.

There can be other computer systems that perform functions such asreceiving and associating user account information with external accountinformation, managing content, managing content delivery channels, andtracking content associated activity, among other functions. Thesesystems can be distributed among a communication system such as theInternet. One such distributed network, as discussed below with respectto FIG. 11, can be used to implement various aspects of the invention.

FIG. 11 shows an architecture diagram of an example distributed system1100 suitable for implementing various aspects of the invention. Itshould be appreciated that FIG. 11 is used for illustration purposesonly, and that other architectures can be used to facilitate one or moreaspects of the invention.

System 1100 may include one or more general-purpose computer systemsdistributed among a network 1102 such as, for example, the Internet.Such systems may cooperate to perform functions related to managinginteractive user engagement. In an example of one such system, one ormore users operate one or more client computer systems 1104, 1106, and1108 through which the user can access content, register accounts, enterexternal account information and potentially redeem offers. It should beunderstood that the one or more client computer systems 1104, 1106, and1108 may also be used to access, for example, external accountregistration systems, content, user profile management, etc. In oneexample, users interface with the system via an Internet-basedinterface.

In another example, a system 1104 includes a browser program such as theMicrosoft Internet Explorer application program, Mozilla's FireFox, orGoogle's Chrome browser through which one or more websites can beaccessed. Further, there can be one or more application programs thatare executed on system 1104 that perform functions associated withinteractive user engagement. For example, system 1104 may include one ormore local databases for storing, caching and/or retrieving patronprofiles, potential offers, tracked content activity, redemptionactivity, etc.

Network 1102 may also include, as part of the system for managinginteractive user engagement, one or more server systems, which can beimplemented on general-purpose computers that cooperate to performvarious functions including receiving user account information,retrieving database information on player account information, executinginterface processes between external accounts and the online system andother functions. System 1100 may execute any number of software programsor processes and the invention is not limited to any particular type ornumber of processes. Such processes can perform the various workflowsassociated with the system for managing interactive user engagement. Itshould be appreciated that various embodiments described in any portionof the above description can be performed alone or in combination withother embodiments described herein.

Having thus described several aspects and embodiments of this invention,it is to be appreciated that various alterations, modifications andimprovements will readily occur to those skilled in the art. Suchalterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part ofthis disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and scope ofthe invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way ofexample only.

Use of ordinal terms such as “first”, “second”, “ third”, “a”, “b” “c”etc., in the claims to modify or otherwise identify a claim element doesnot by itself connote any priority, precedence, or order of one claimelement over another or the temporal order in which acts of a method areperformed, but are used merely as labels to distinguish one claimelement having a certain name from another element having a same name(but for use of the ordinal term) to distinguish the claim elements.

1. A computer implemented method for managing interactive userengagement, the method comprising the acts of: registering, over acomputer network, a user for a user account; associating, by a computersystem, an external account with the user account; determining, by thecomputer system, eligibility of the user to receive content;identifying, by the computer system, at least one delivery channel,wherein the delivery channel conveys a communication configured toprovide the content in a perceptible form to the user; delivering thecontent to the user over the at least one delivery channel; andtracking, by the computer system, content associated activity.
 2. Themethod according to claim 1, wherein the external account comprises athird party service, and further requires user identification to accessthe third party service.
 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein theact of associating, by the computer system, the external account withthe user account includes an act of generating the external account onbehalf of the user.
 4. The method according to claim 3, wherein theexternal account comprises a user reward account.
 5. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising an act of establishing a userprofile associated with a user account.
 6. The method according to claim1, further comprising an act of permitting a user to define preferenceinformation associated with the at least one delivery channel.
 7. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising an act of establishingpreference information associated with the at least one deliverychannel.
 8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising an actof recording preference information associated with the at least onedelivery channel with a user profile.
 9. The method according to claim1, wherein the act of registering, over a computer network, the user forthe user account includes an act of providing for generation of anexternal account for the user.
 10. The method according to claim 9,wherein the act of providing for generation of an external account forthe user includes transmitting user information to an external accountgeneration system.
 11. The method according to claim 10, wherein theexternal account generation system includes at least one of a casinomanagement system and a lottery management system.
 12. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising an act of requesting the userto identify external accounts during registration.
 13. The methodaccording to claim 5, further comprising an act of scoring the userbased at least in part of information associated with the user account.14. The method according to claim 1, further comprising an act ofupdating the user account with information associated with the user. 15.The method according to claim 5, further comprising an act of updatingthe user profile with information associated with the user, wherein theinformation associated with the user includes at least one ofdemographic information, user activity occurring at a gambling location,user activity occurring at an affiliated location, user activityoccurring at a redemption location, user online activity, and useroffline activity.
 16. The method according to claim 1, wherein the actof identifying, by the computer system, the at least one deliverychannel includes an act of determining a preferred delivery channel. 17.The method according to claim 16, wherein the preferred delivery channelis assigned by the computer system.
 18. The method according to claim16, wherein the preferred delivery channel is defined according to thecontent delivered.
 19. The method according to claim 16, wherein thepreferred delivery channel is determined dynamically.
 20. The methodaccording to claim 16, wherein the preferred delivery channel isdetermined dynamically based at least in part on at least one of acalculation of return, a prediction of return, the user profile, anduser profile and user behavior.
 21. The method according to claim 1,wherein the act of identifying, by the computer system, the at least onedelivery channel includes determining at least one of a jurisdictionallimitation, a user preference, a scoring based on user associatedinformation, a selection based on content associated information, aprobability of engagement, and a prediction of engagement.
 22. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising an act of associating adelivery channel with the user.
 23. The method according to claim 22,further comprising an act of creating a unique identifier for thedelivery channel.
 24. The method according to claim 1, furthercomprising an act of classifying the delivery channel.
 25. The methodaccording to claim 20, further comprising an act of creating a channelprofile.
 26. The method according to claim 24, wherein the act ofclassifying the delivery channel includes an act of storing historicalactivity information associated with delivered content.
 27. The methodaccording to claim 26, wherein the historical activity informationincludes information on success of delivery of the content, timing ofaccess to the content, and timing of redemption of the content.
 28. Themethod according to claim 1, further comprising an act of classifyingthe content.
 29. The method according to claim 1, further comprising anact of associating the content with the at least one delivery channel.30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the act of associating thecontent with the at least one delivery channel includes an act ofidentifying a delivery channel used with the content.
 31. The methodaccording to claim 1, wherein the act of delivering the content to theuser over the at least one delivery channel includes an act of packingthe content for delivery.
 32. The method according to claim 31, whereinthe act of packing the content for delivery includes an act of scalingthe content.
 33. The method according to claim 1, wherein the act oftracking, by the computer system, content associated activity includestracking metrics associated with successful delivery of the content. 34.The method according to claim 33, wherein the act of tracking, by thecomputer system, content associated activity includes tracking a successas access to the content by the user.
 35. The method according to claim33, wherein the act of tracking, by the computer system, contentassociated activity includes tracking a success as redemption of thecontent by the user.
 36. The method according to claim 33, wherein theact of tracking, by the computer system, content associated activityincludes accepting information from external accounts.
 37. The methodaccording to claim 1, further comprising an act of generating an optimalengagement path for a user.
 38. The method according to claim 20,wherein the calculation of return includes a determination of cost ofdelivery, probability of redemption, and value of redemption.
 39. Themethod according to claim 20, wherein the prediction of return includesa prediction of cost of delivery, of redemption, and value ofredemption.
 40. A method for determining an optimal engagement path forcontent delivery to at least one user, the method comprising:establishing at least one delivery channel for communicating with the atleast one user; delivery content to the at least one user over the atleast one delivery channel; tracking successful delivery to the at leastone user over the at least one delivery channel; and determining anoptimal delivery path for any content.
 41. A system for managinginteractive user engagement, the system comprising: a registrationcomponent configured to register a user for a user account; anassociation component configured to associated an external account withthe user account; an eligibility component configured to determineeligibility of the user to receive content; a selection componentconfigured to identify at least one delivery channel, wherein thedelivery channel conveys a communication configured to provide thecontent in a perceptible form to the user; a transmission componentconfigured to deliver the content to the user over the at least onedelivery channel; and a tracking component configured to track contentassociated activity.
 42. A system for determining an optimal engagementpath for content delivery to at least one user, the system comprising: aregistration component configured to establish at least one deliverychannel for communicating with the at least one user; a transmissioncomponent configured to deliver content to the at least one user overthe at least one delivery channel; a tracking component for identifyingsuccessful delivery to the at least one user over the at least onedelivery channel; and an optimization component configured to determinean optimal delivery path for any content.